THACKLEY come into today’s mammoth clash with Campion on the back of a 3-0 defeat, but manager Danny Forrest has urged his side to bounce back in style.

Last Saturday’s loss at Frickley Athletic has put The Dennyboys six points adrift of today’s visitors, but they now have the chance to restore some parity by beating their rivals and reducing the gap between the two sides to three points, who sit 4th and 2nd respectively.

It’s a game that will have the neutrals purring and Forrest has urged his side to stay focussed ahead of the visit of Lee Ashforth’s high-flying side.

He said: “I respect Campion a lot and the job that Lee (Ashforth) and James (Bicknell) have done there.

“But for us, yes, you could say that it is the perfect opportunity for us to bounce back against Campion this weekend, but we need to make sure our processes stay the same, whether that’s us playing against a side at the bottom of the league or playing a side who are miles away in distance. At the end of the day, we want to improve on last week and we would do no matter the opponent. Nothing chances in that aspect.”

Giving his thoughts on Campion’s fine start to life in the NCEL Premier Division, Forrest said: “I’m not surprised at all; they’ve got quality all over the pitch and they’ve got a settled team. When you win the league like they did last season it brings a great deal of momentum and confidence to a side, particularly at this level. We found that a few years ago at Silsden when we got promoted to a similar level to where Campion are at now. I back them to sustain it to be honest because they’ve got the quality to do exactly that.”

He added: “They’ve got goals, which is massive at this level and they’re lively. They’ve also got so many ways they can play; they can be direct; they can be comfortable on the ball and they’ve also got legs. That’s why it is so difficult to come against them. Preparation will be key for us, but preparation can only get you so far. I want to see our personality come out, I want to see our quality and I want to see a brave performance against a side who are playing very well. That’s the real challenge for us.”

Discussing whether a strong performance, if not victory would rubber-stamp his side’s credentials, Forrest said: “Yes, of course. Ultimately, results are what everybody is after, but a solid performance is what I’m interested in because if the performance is right then the results will follow.

“We still have a great deal of belief within the group and the club that we can achieve great things this season. The season is still early so we can’t say for definite where we think we will be come the end of the season, but we want to win every game. The position we are in now is a position that Thackley haven’t been used to over the past few years, so long may it continue. So, would a win bring us more confidence? Yes. And would a win bring us more belief? Yes. It’s a challenge we are ready to take on.”