THACKLEY boss Danny Forrest will be the coolest man in town this weekend, as rivals Albion Sports visit the Dennyboys.

Of course, any derby can bring added pressure, especially when the two sides are battling it out towards the top of the table, but Thackley’s manager has said that his team mustn’t let the occasion get the better of them in today’s contest.

“We are feeling good ahead of this weekend; nothing changes in how we approach this game despite it being against a local rival. There is that added bit of local interest, of course, and there is current relations and past relations between both clubs, however, we will be approaching this game no different to how we have approached every game this season,” Forrest said.

Both sides are edging towards the table’s summit and are on equal points (24 points) in 3rd and 4th respectively, but Forrest admitted that he won’t be looking too much into the outcome of Saturday’s result.

He said: “The season is too early to be calling this kind of game a six-pointer. It’s the early stages and there are lots of games still to be played.

“We come into every game with the same mentality, and that mentality is to win and claim the three points. It would be nice to get the three points over a direct rival at this stage in the season, but I don’t think it will have any bearing on the final league standings.

“As a club, we work hard to get any victory and this weekend we’ll do the same. It’s a game we are looking forward to very much so.”

Thackley hosted Brighouse Town on Wednesday evening in the County Cup, and after going two goals ahead against their higher league opposition, the home side eventually lost the tie 3-2.

Reflecting on the defeat, Forrest said: “It’s never nice to throw away a two-goal lead and it shouldn’t have really happened, but we won’t dwell on it too much. It was a game that allowed us to look at a few different things such as our shape, squad selection and cup game mentality. For us, there was a bigger picture to it all and although we would have liked to win the game, we won’t be losing any sleep over it.

“Throughout my management and playing career, yes, it’s nice to go on a strong County Cup run, however it’s not always been a priority for the teams I’ve played in or managed. All in all, it was a great exercise for us and I’m sure Brighouse too; we definitely got what we needed out of it.”

Forrest admitted that the fixture did present Thackley with some slight injury doubts ahead of this weekend’s match with local rivals Albion Sports.

He said: “There was a few niggles within the squad after the match against Brighouse, so we’ll have to do a round-up of who we’ve got available for the weekend. If I’m being honest, the team could look slightly different, but we’ll just have to see. We feel like we’ve got enough depth within the squad for if we have to adapt.”