A bonus on and off the field

Witton Albion have closed to within a victory of a return to the FA Trophy first round and with it added to an impressive haul of prize money this season.

A run to the final stage of qualifying for the FA Cup, which included two victories against higher-ranked opponents, was worth £30,000 to the club.

And a 2-0 win against AFC Rushden & Diamonds on Saturday increases to £7,250 a total in the FA Trophy.

With their share of gate receipts from five ties played to date, the team has brought in more than £40,000.

A comparison with the 2016-2017 campaign, when they also prevailed in two FA Cup games and made it to the competition proper in the FA Trophy, was rewarded with £17,375 from the respective prize funds.

Time to transfer knockout form

It is a source of frustration for manager Carl Macauley that Witton have reserved their best performances this term almost exclusively for one-off cup games.

And he made reference to that in a post-match briefing with the Guardian on Saturday.

Albion have games in hand on every rival in the Northern Premier League’s top-flight, and so there isn’t at this stage any cause for concern.

However defeats against Mickleover and Stalybridge on home turf, both of them in wretched form on the road when they arrived in Northwich, represent missed opportunities that have irked.

“We need to play like this in one or two of our league games,” said Macauley.

Is a three-man defence best for Witton?

They certainly appeared more solid at the back, and full-backs Anthony Gardner and Matty Devine made the most of the freedom it gave them to support Albion’s attack.

Indeed, Devine contributed to Cesaire’s goal from an advanced position.

One of the most disappointing elements of a midweek reverse against Stalybridge Celtic was a total absence of width when Witton needed a way back into a contest they trailed at the interval.

The substitutions they made only served to make it more congested in the middle of the field, and their guests were never threatened during the game’s final half-hour.

However it is not only that; midfielder James Foley had his best game for a little while during the opening period against Rushden because he was stationed in a central position.

Deploying Tom Owens as a ‘false nine’

An injury to captain Rob Hopley shortly after the interval, and with Will Jones unavailable and Delial Brewster nursing an injury, left Macauley with no specialist strikers at the weekend.

He had to be resourceful, and invited Owens to be Albion’s most advanced player for the remaining 40 minutes with Foley and Danny McKenna tasked with providing support.

It worked a treat.

Owens still drifted into a deeper position, or started a forward run from one, and his energy made him a useful outlet during a spell of pressure while the hosts readjusted.

Rushden simply didn’t get to grips with it; their defenders were uncertain whether to follow the former Marine man, while their midfielders had other players in red and white to worry about.

When River Humphreys returns

Everything functions better in defence.

An illness prevented him from starting the previous two matches; Albion shut out Lancaster with 10 men in the first but conceded goals they ought not to have done against Stalybridge in the second.

The way in which he organises and leads, coupled with his unwavering commitment to every tackle and header which inspires those alongside him, gives total assurance to all of his teammates.

Along with Josh Wardle and Liam Goulding, and more so when Chris Noone replaced Hopley, there was a formidable obstacle for Rushden to overcome if they wanted to find a way back into the game.

It is no coincidence that their most dangerous moments were from set-pieces in the second-half.