Herring aiming to continue form
Hungerford are unbeaten in five games after victory against Hampton
IAN Herring is hoping Hungerford can start April in the same way they ended March as they continue their battle for survival in the National League South.
Town won 3-0 away to Hampton & Richmond on Saturday, making it three wins on the trot and extending their unbeaten run to five games.
Herring said: “I’m delighted, obviously, because we scored three goals away from home and secured a clean sheet.
“It couldn’t have gone any better. We’ve won our last three games, unbeaten in five and I am over the moon – it’s been a wonderful March.”
The unbeaten run has taken Hungerford up to 18th place, two points above the drop zone.
Herring said: “Like I keep saying, this young group has grown so much since the start of the season and it is a credit to all of them.
“It’s not just the back four and the goalkeeper who have kept the clean sheets, it’s the whole team and they’re all putting in a shift in each week.”
The clean sheet was Town’s third in the last month and, after a number of changes, Herring was more than happy.
He said: “We’ve had a couple of changes in our defence. You can’t forget the hard work of Matt Jones [who is injured] and Josh Martin.
“James [Rusby] has had to move back into defence and we’ve brought in Noah [Chesmain], who has slotted in like he’s been with us for the whole season.”
Herring wants to keep the run going until the season ends and he said: “It’s obviously a crucial part of the season.
“We entered March four points from safety so it’s been a great month, but if we don’t finish the job off, then March won’t be worth anything.”
The Crusaders return to Bulpit Lane this weekend as they face Berkshire rivals Slough Town, who sit in 11th place.
Both sides will be coming into the game on five-game unbeaten runs and Herring believes it will be a very close encounter.
He said: “I speak to Neil Baker and Jon Underwood quite a bit. They’re two of the good guys in football and it’s unfortunate that both teams can’t get the three points.
“It’ll be a test for us and I’m sure they’ll think the same, but it’ll be a competitive game, played in the right way by two in-form teams.”
