ENTERING a new division is tough for any side and it was no different for Campion, who found themselves faltering in the opening few NWCFL First Division North fixtures.

But the settling in phase is over for the Bradford side and Lee Ashforth’s squad are now picking up momentum.

After going through a sticky phase at the start of this campaign, which included defeats in the opening three games, Campion are beginning to find their feet in the division after claiming four points from their previous two games against Chadderton (1-1 draw) and Daisy Hill (3-0 win).

They now sit five points above the drop zone and St Helens, who they face today (3:00 PM), (H) , and Ashforth is hopeful his side can continue their form.

He said: “It took us a little while to settle down in this league and it took us a while to get the squad to where we wanted it to be.

“We had to move a couple of players on from through own choice at the beginning of the campaign and we felt we needed to bring in new additions, which we did.

“You always have to allow players to settle in, but I think now these players are and it’s helped to kickstart our season properly.

“But we can’t be too complacent because we are sitting only five points above the drop zone, meaning we can only afford to look up the table, rather than what’s behind us

“We are taking each game as it comes and trying to build up our points tally as much as we can.

“We have had horrendous luck with injuries, but hopefully once everyone is back fit and ready, then we can continue to really push on.”

Campion do host St Helens today and it could be a fixture which has some say in deciding who gets relegated or not.

Heading into the game, Ashforth believes that rather than focusing on the opposition’s qualities, he and his staff have instead adopted the approach of looking at the qualities of his own side.

He said: “We’ve stopped worrying about other teams and what they can do.

“At the start of the season, we’d gone into a new league and we felt like we needed to do a lot of research and analysis on the teams we were coming up against, because there’s uncertainty when going into a new division.

“But in fact, it didn’t help us one bit really. We have found out that the Northern Counties League changes from week to week and results aren’t guaranteed for any team.

“We decided to change our mentality and focus on our own qualities rather than the other teams, so this Sunday will be no different.

“It will be a huge game, maybe a six pointer you could call it, but we will hopefully collect another victory.”

Away from football and it is well documented that Campion’s boss has a love for golf in his time away from football.

Recently, Ashforth partnered up with another Headley Golf Club member at the Bradford Alliance Matchplay Pairs golf tournament and the duo won the competition.

And reflecting on his achievements, Ashforth said: “It was brilliant for Headley Golf Club because the other two lads who we played in the final were also from the club, so it was great for the club having four members there.

"It was a brilliant feeling to win it. I've always said that football frustrates me and it causes me to lose sleep and golf helps me relieve some of that stress.

"I'm what you call a casual golfer and I don't let it get to me. I use as a period of downtime on a Sunday in particular."