Crusaders' 'impossible dream' still alive

Promotion rivals Dartford at Bulpit Lane on Good Friday

GOOD FRIDAY could set up a great season for Hungerford Town as they chase the impossible dream of reaching the Vanarama National League South play-offs next month.

With four games to go, the pre-season relegation favourites still find themselves fighting for a top five spot against clubs with vastly superior resources, staff and budgets and manager Bobby Wilkinson has called for one last push to complete a task he describes as “incredible.”

“When I looked at the fixtures at the start of the season and saw the last 10 games, I thought ‘that could be tough if we need to win games to stay up.

“But it’s like the legaue table has ben turned upside down and we oculd be speaking this time next week knowing we are still in the mix for the biggest finish.

“I still don’t believe that many people realise what an incredible job these boys have done.”

That four-match run-in starts on Friday afternoon with the visit of fourth in the table Dartford, one of the league’s biggest hitters and continues on Monday with a tricky trip to Hemel

Hempstead Town. Wealdstone and Chelmsford City follow on successive weekends, but Friday’s game is the big one for now.

“They are a fanstastic side with the best left winger in the league and a centre forward who is a big power unit.

“We’ve done all our homework, but at this stage it’s just about us,”said Wilkinson. “We have to go out there and win our individual battles with heart, desire and passion and see if we can pull off little miracle.”

Hungerford are hopeful that strikers Nat Jarvis and Stefan Brown will be able to feature over the weekend. Jarvis went off with an injured hamstring in the first half of last week’s win at Whitehawk, while Brown sustained similar damage last month.

“We are hopeful that Nat will be alright,” said Wilkinson, “and we’re hoping that Stefan will be back in training this week.

“But it’s all about gambles at this stage. The boys have showed their true colours to get us this far, and now we need everybody to come along and give them that little lush.

“If anyone had told me that on Good Friday we would be in this position, I would have bitten off their right arm for this to be happening.

“Let’ all enjoy these moments.”

Half price offer to league fans

HUNGERFORD are again offering half-price entry to all Reading, Swindon Town and Oxford United season ticket holders and will also be staging an open junior penalty shoot-out competition at half-time on Friday.

What are the odds?

THE teams are fairly evenly rated by bookies with Hungerford quoted at 6/4 by bet365 and Dartford at 7/5.

A draw is 13/5 and a gal-less draw at 12/1. A 1-0 win for either side is 9/1.