Lawler relishes Farnham challenge ahead of season defining festive period for Tadley
Tadley Calleva's joint-manager Joe Lawler has said he thinks the festive period will define his side's season.
The Tadders are currently eighth in the Combined Counties Premier Division South table, having won nine of their first 14 league games, and Lawler believes his side, who have as many as three games in hand on some of the teams above them, have it in them to challenge for the play-offs.
"We're pretty pleased with the start we've had," he said.
"The only disappointing thing is that we've lost five games, and I think we should've won two, maybe even three of them. We've only been beaten by a team that was better than us on the day twice.
"We're in a good position to attack the play-offs but we need to take it one game at a time.
"It's a really difficult time of the season, there are a lot of matches, there's the risk of games being cancelled and you tend to have a lot of people away over Christmas.
"Now until January is going to be a defining point in our season. If we can come out the other side in a similar position or even better, which I'm fully confident we will, then I think we can have a real crack at the play-offs."
On Saturday, the Romans laid down a marker for the rest of the campaign when they came from behind twice to beat Tooting and Mitcham, who are one of the league's big hitters, 3-2 following two late goals from in-form Kieran Rodgers.
And Lawler suggested the win, Tadley's third away from Barlow's Park this term, could prove to be a vital one.
He said: "Saturday was a big game for us against a big side that have until recently been playing a couple of levels higher.
"They beat us earlier in the season at our place and we felt like we deserved to win that game, we had a sending off and they scored with the last kick of the game. We felt like we owed them one to a certain extent.
"The day was a difficult one. The traffic was a nightmare and the pitch wasn't the best. We competed for the whole game and I felt like we were the more dominant team, but we conceded a couple of goals against the run of play.
"A couple of times this year when we've gone behind, we've struggled to come back. So to come from behind twice really showed the character we have within the squad.
"It was stressful for the management team, but to win the game so late on meant a lot for us. It's one of the best ways to win a game."
Tadley retained a strong core of last season's successful squad but also said goodbye to a number of the team's most experienced members, including top scorer Ben Wright, club captain Tom Walsh and talented midfielder Jamie Johnston.
Lawler challenged a number of Tadley's younger players to fill the void left by the outgoing leaders, handing the armband to versatile defender Jordan Goater. The club have also added a number of shrewd acquisitions, most recently poaching former Guildford City captain Scott Costello, who scored a brace on his return to his old side earlier this month.
And Lawler, who has also been working on instilling a higher-pressing, more dynamic style, has been delighted with how his squad have stepped up this term.
"I've been really pleased," he said.
"When you lose some of your leaders, it can go one of two ways. People can go into their shell, and then you need to go and find other leaders, or other players within the squad can step up. And we've really seen some of the lads step up.
"The dressing room has never been better. We named Jordan Goater as captain and Jack French as vice-captain. They then put together a leadership group of five people, and that's been a real positive. All the boys seem to be pushing in the right direction."
Tadley, who have won their last two league games, received a further boost with the return of Ben Dillon, who worked alongside Lawler as joint-manager at Barlow's Park between October 2021 and this summer. The pair took over with the club rock bottom of the Combined Counties Premier Division North, having failed to win any of their first 10 games. The management duo performed a minor miracle and steered Tadley clear of danger, eventually guiding them to a comfortable mid-table finish, before building on their initial success with an eight placed finish in the Combined Counties Premier Division South last term.
Dillon stepped down from his role in the off-season due to family and work commitments but officially returned last month, leaving Lawler delighted to be teaming up with his friend and fellow football fanatic once more.
He said: "Ben's come back as joint-manager and I'm delighted.
"We've worked together for a number of years and it's been a real positive to have him back in the camp. It's like he never left.
"I think, with the staff we've got, it's the best team Ben and I have had in management."
Lawler and Dillon's attention now turns to a huge game at Barlow's Park this weekend with the visit of unbeaten league leaders Farnham. Farnham have won all 13 of their league games, beating Tadley 4-0 in the reverse, scoring 53 goals and conceding just six.
Yet Lawler admits he is relishing the challenge and is confident his side can be the first to take points from Saturday's visitors.
"Farnham are obviously a very good side and we expect them to be the best team we play all season," Lawler said.
"Those are the kind of games we want to be involved in. We want to compete against the best and we think it's going to be a really good test.
"We're aiming for play-offs and if we're serious about that, we need to be able to mix it with sides like Farnham.
"It'll be two good footballing sides and Farnham always bring a good crowd, so we're expecting a great occasion."