Blues rested and ready

The first team manager spoke to the Standard ahead of Saturday’s trip to Histon, and insisted he was happy for the players to ‘let their hair down’ last weekend in Manchester.

“We had a Saturday off so I went to watch Scunthorpe United and the players had their Christmas do,” he said.

“They had a good bonding session, they all turned up and had a good night out together.”

“I’ve been in the professional game and you’re always allowed a chance to let your hair down, it can only help them bond as a group.”

“They were back in training on Monday night all talking about how good it was.”

The Blues travel to 15th-placed Histon on the back of two wins, and Housham isn’t concerned about any loss in momentum due to last Saturday’s lack of fixture.

He said: “We’ve been training, and although you do like to play as much as you can, we’ll be fully rested and recovered for Histon.”

“If we’d have had a game then a few players would have been struggling.”

Lewis McMahon will miss this weekend’s outing through suspension, while Ryan Kendall is a doubt through a hamstring problem and goalkeepers Andrew Pettinger and Phil Barnes are also struggling.

Housham added: “Histon look like a decent side at home so it will be a tough test for us.”

“But I’m not really concerned about the team we’re playing, just how we perform. If we perform like we did in the last two games then we should be in with a good chance.”

The lull in Blue Square Bet North action has allowed Housham to get out and about in search of new blood for his Trinity side, although he said there wasn’t likely to be any player movement before Saturday.

“It’s a bit quiet,” he said.

“I’ve been out at a couple of games this week checking on a few players, seeing who is out there.”

“I’m looking for players who can do a good job for Gainsborough Trinity, but they need to be the right sort of player.”

For the Blues’ upcoming fixtures and the Blue Square Bet North table see page 45.