West Wratting manager Lee Miller not expecting a Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division title challenge

His side may be the closest challengers to table-topping Great Shelford at the moment, but manager Lee Miller has ruled West Wratting out of the Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division title race.

After last weekend’s 2-0 home win over Witchford 96, second-placed Wratting are five points adrift of the leaders having played the same amount of fixtures.

However, third-placed Foxton, who are level on points with Wratting, have played one game less while two points further back in fourth are Over Sports, who are three matches behind.

And while it will be a tall order to win all of them, fifth-placed Newmarket Town Reserves, Hardwick in sixth and seventh-placed Ely City Reserves also have enough games in hand to surpass Wratting.

Consequently, Miller’s focus is on his team finishing as high as possible rather than eyeing up the potential of winning more silverware.

“As far as I’m concerned I don’t see us being in the title race with the games in hand others have,” he said.

“That’s not being negative, just realistic. I’ve been involved in this league for a long time and I know what it takes to win it.

“We’ve been so inconsistent. We get a result, it looks like a corner has been turned and then we slip up.

“We always set levels at this club and as a collective we’ve fallen below them – especially when you look at the quality we’ve got in the group.

“But we still have pride to play for. We have to win as many games as possible because this club prides itself on finishing as high as it can and I don’t want a fifth or sixth-placed finish to my name and nor do the players.

“While we all have to hold our hands up, I know I’ve got a great group. They’re not just talented footballers, they’re really good people and they care about this club.

“We might not win anything this season but that does not mean we’ll be taking it easy until the end of the season.”

Miller was pleased with how Wratting acquitted themselves during the victory at Witchford’s expense.

Due to recent call-offs and the festive break it was Wratting’s first outing in five weeks, while they were also up against opposition still smarting from the 10-1 defeat that they suffered in the reverse fixture in November.

“We definitely needed a game after five weeks off,” added Miller. “After so long off the boys used their heads, kept their shape and discipline and didn’t go out and press all over the pitch.

“We reserved energy levels and with the players we’ve got you know the chances will always come.

“It was always going to be tough, partly because we weren’t at our sharpest after a break, but also because of what happened at their place.

“They were always going to be competitive because you’d think they’d still have been hurting.

“We warned the players that it would be completely different, and it was. Credit to them, they created some good chances and on another day they might have taken them.

“We also missed some good chances as well, but as a first game back I can’t complain.”

Both of Wratting’s goals came courtesy of Callum Harrison, who tops the division’s scoring charts having found the back of the net on 17 occasions from his 15 appearances.

The forward is two goals clear of his nearest challenge for the Golden Boot – Shelford’s Jack Chandler.

Next up for Harrison and his team-mates will be a trip to bottom-of-the-table Milton tomorrow (2pm).

Despite being rooted to the foot of the standings, Milton will be buoyed by the fact that they won for just the second time this season last time out as they triumphed 2-1 away at Hemingfords United.

Nick Wilderspin (ankle) and Josh Segrave (hand) are set to miss the trip.

Meanwhile, Miller has revealed that the club will do everything that it can to support Tom Boyce after he suffered a serious injury playing for Wratting’s reserve side last weekend.

The defender is awaiting surgery after breaking his leg and ankle during a match against Isleham United.

Miller said: “Tom is a lovely lad and someone that is really reliable.

“There’s been talk about sorting out a collection for him and we’ll do everything we can to look after him during his recovery.”