Manager John Sheridan warned that in-form Macclesfield will provide a stern test for the Blues tomorrow as two sides who are enjoying good runs go head-to-head in the final game of 2018 at Brunton Park.
“Macclesfield are going really well under Sol Campbell so it’ll be a tough game,” he said. “They’re probably the team that have outplayed us more than any other so far this season.
“Sol has done an excellent job. He was a very good player, he knows the game, and he’s had an excellent start to his first job in management. We’ll respect them but if we get the level of performance we’ve had lately I expect us to win.”
“We’ve been playing well recently but it’s only just gone into the second half of the season,” he continued. “There’s still a long way to go. We’ll just keep looking after ourselves and we’ll keep our focus on whatever the next game is.
“The players are playing with a bit of swagger and confidence and when you’re scoring goals and keeping clean sheets that can only help your confidence. You go out thinking you’ve got a good chance of winning before you’ve kicked a ball. What we have to remember is that we haven’t achieved anything yet.
“Having said that, we’ve won the last two home games 4-0 and 6-0 so hopefully that will attract the fans back. We want more fans, and performances like we had on Boxing Day will hopefully attract them back.
“It’s good for the home fans because they haven’t seen us win too many games, but when we have done we’ve been emphatic. In terms of scoring so many, goal difference could play a big part in the long run, so that’s another pleasing aspect.
“It’s been a great response from the players to get three wins on the spin, and we’re going into another home game when we’re all looking forward to seeing how we do against Macclesfield.”
Meanwhile, with the January transfer window set to open and loan and out-of-contract player situations currently unresolved, he confirmed that the outlook looks positive following talks with the individuals in question.
“We’re still working on the contracts and loans, and hopefully they’ll all be sorted out quickly,” he told us. “I’m thinking positively because I think we’re still going to have most of the players who are here.
“We’ve spoken to the parent clubs and they’re happy, so hopefully that will be the case. If some players do move on we’ve made calls and we think we’ve identified people who can come in to take their place.”
On the late substitution of captain Danny Grainger in the Oldham game, he said: “Danny came off with a bit of a tight hamstring, so we were just being cautious.
“I took Kelvin [Etuhu] off because he’d been booked. We were 4-0 or 5-0 up at the time so it gave me a chance to give one or two of the other lads a bit of game time.”
Meanwhile director of football David Holdsworth confirmed this week that he is very hopeful that extended deals for loanees Jack Sowerby and Jerry Yates will be completed shortly.
"We've had good conversations with the parent clubs so we'll see how it goes," he said. "Hopefully we'll get confirmation soon. We're also talking to Louis Gray and Anthony Gerrard, because obviously they will soon be out of contract, and formal offers have been made with both players.
"These things take time and have to be right for all parties but, like I say, we're very hopeful with all of them. As I keep saying, when we have firm news on any of it we're determined to keep fans updated.
"With Ashley Nadesan, that's one we'll keep an eye on. He likes it here, we like him, but we just have to wait and see what comes.
"We know Adam [Campbell] wants more pitch time, but he's another really good lad. It'll be a late decision on him because, again, whatever is done going forward has to be right for him."
And it was also confirmed that defender Gary Miller and midfielder George Glendon have been given the green light to look for other clubs as they also seek to gain more pitch time.
"Gary and George are great lads, they really are, and they have both worked extremely hard from day one," he explained. "They've been extremely professional, but they're desperate to be getting minutes under their belt.
"That's completely understandable, so we've talked to them and they've been fantastic. We completely agree that they need to be playing so, if they can find something, we'll be happy to help them with that."
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