Newmarket Town reaping rewards of playing in-form strikers Stan Leech and Josh Lee as a forward pairing
Newmarket Town boss Michael Shinn will almost certainly be the envy of many of his contemporaries at this present moment in time.
Managers at all levels of the game are always searching to find those players that are capable of putting the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis – and thankfully for Shinn, right now he has two strikers in top form.
Stan Leech’s goal in Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over Bowers & Pitsea in the Velocity Trophy took his tally for the season in all competitions to 16, while Josh Lee’s brace in the same game means that he is now on a run of five goals in his last four appearances.
And those performances have forced Shinn into a slight change of shape to ensure that he can get both players on the pitch.
The Jockeys manager said: “Ever since I’ve been at Newmarket, I’ve usually played a 4-2-3-1 or something along those lines.
“But we’ve changed to go with two at the top end because when you’ve got players as good as those two, why wouldn’t you?
“They’re both really difficult to deal with in different ways and they complement each other well.
“We played Gorleston recently and their centre-half Adam Tann (ex-Cambridge United), he’s someone I’ve known a long time. He commented on how much of a handful they both are and when you look at the level he’s played at, that says everything.”
Shinn has also been involved in the game long enough to know that such goal returns will lead to interest from elsewhere.
Lee was tempted away to Maldon & Tiptree last season before returning to the club, while teams have already made approaches for Leech’s services in recent weeks.
But Shinn is hopeful that the current positivity surrounding Newmarket will help to convince both players to reject any advances.
He added: “We’ve got two really good strikers that we need to keep hold of for as long as we can.
“People might wonder why I’m openly talking about it, but other teams and managers aren’t daft, they’ll know the goals that both of them are scoring.
“What we need to do is create an environment where they don’t want to leave and right now it’s a really good atmosphere around the place.
“Stan has already turned down a couple of clubs, which hopefully shows how happy he is, and Josh obviously went away last year and came back, so he feels comfortable with us.
“That’s not to say that moves elsewhere couldn’t work out for them and maybe one day a club will come in that they can’t turn down, but right now both are really enjoying their football and that’s so important.
“You can play for 15 or 20 years and it’s difficult to find a club where you’re really happy, so when you do find one, it’s worth sticking with it.”
Newmarket’s front two will aim to get among the goals again on Saturday when Concord Rangers visit the NYO Stadium for what will be the home side’s first Isthmian League North Division fixture since September 20. And that is followed on Wednesday by a trip to Downham Town (7.45pm).