Steelmen will continue with same principles says Evans

Port Talbot manager Paul Evans has said that his side will continue with the same attitude they’ve showed in recent fixtures as his side face relegation rivals Monmouth Town.

Former Lido boss Paul Evans says he wants his side to continue to go into the all important clash with Monmouth, like they have done in recent weeks against Pen-Y-Bont and Risca United.

“We’ve got to be at our best on Saturday and we will go to Monmouth with the same principles and attitude we had the last few games.They must put the work in to earn the right to play and they’ve done that in the last 2 games.”

The Steelmen are unbeaten in their last two as they boostered their chances of survival by beating fellow relegation candidates Risca United 4-2, as well as getting a home draw with Pen-y-Bont.

“Getting the win against Risca was a must having lost the Saturday before to Undy Athletic, we needed a reaction and we certainly got one. We then picked up a big point on Saturday against Penybont so building that momentum is key to improving the lads confidence.”

Saturday’s opponents Monmouth, will pose a massive threat as they themselves will be looking to secure the three points, having secured an impressive victory over title chasers Goytre last weekend. One thing that may not go in the favour of Port Talbot is their poor away form this season, picking up just 7 points on the road in total.

“Monmouth have had some great results of late and at home are doing really well. Our away form hasn’t been good enough. We’ve hovered above the bottom 3 all season and we now find ourselves in the bottom 3, we must make sure we give everything in every game to make sure we get results and I know our players will do that.”

Going into the match, Port Talbot were without six of their players last weekend, so Evans is hopeful that the list of absentees will go down for this match as well as the further weeks ahead.

“We’ve had numerous injuries and player unavailability over last few weeks with 6 lads missing on Saturday against Penybont we are hoping to have some returning but will have to wait and see. The lads who stepped on Saturday done really well so some difficult decisions this weekend but it’s good to have competition in the squad.”

One player who will be available to Port Talbot is their talisman Jonathan Hood who scored a spectacular free-kick last weekend, catching the keeper off guard as he earned a valuable point for the side he remained with in the summer.

“It was a great strike from Hoody on Saturday and he has the quality to produce that on a regular basis. He’s in a rich vein of form now and hopefully that can continue, so he can keep scoring and creating opportunities for the team as he’s a massive influence on and off the field with the boys.”

Evans has put his first season as Port Talbot manager as one of rebuilding the club after off the field issues as well as their relegation to Division One, so survival is a key factor in helping them prepare as they attempt to return to the Welsh Premier League.

“Staying in Division 1 is a must for us we’re rebuilding on and off the field and it takes time to get back to where we want to be. The club has a plan and we must make sure we are able to stick to that and being competitive and staying in Division 1 is on top of that list.”

IMAGE FROM LEWIS MITCHELL