Gainsborough Trinity players expected to produce a reaction to Avenue defeat, as they '˜play for their futures'

Assistant boss Darryn Stamp says he and Steve Housham want to see performances that suggest players can help the club finish in the top 10 this season, and improve on that next season.

The striker admitted last weekend’s showing in the 1-0 loss to Bradford Park Avenue was well below par, and he hopes the Blues will erase it from the memory when Curzon Ashton visit the Martin and Co Arena on Saturday.

But it will be no easy task, overturning a side who beat Trinity 3-0 in October, and who sit four points ahead of them in the National League North table.

“We got battered when we went there earlier in the season,” he said.

“They’re a very good footballing side, so we’re under no illusions, it will be a difficult.

“But we’re expecting a reaction after last Saturday’s performance – people are playing for contracts, they’re playing to be here next season.

“We want to know who wants to be part of next season, who is capable of going on to the next level?”

Stamp said the performance in the defeat by Avenue was ‘no where near’ the levels Trinity are capable of reaching.

He did, however, point to a quintet of players who could play no part, and a particular attribute the side were lacking while those players were missing.

“We don’t want to make excuses and we never do,” he said.

“People are going to get injured and suspended.

“But we looked up at the stand on Saturday and saw Adam Quinn, Matt Wilson, Stephan Brogan, Nathan Jarman and Marc Newsham all sitting there.

“They are five strong players who would have been in the starting 11 at the start of the season.

“Other teams will have injuries and suspensions but look at our team at the minute, we’re lacking that bit of height and presence,.

“When games turn into battles and you have to do the nasty side, we’re looking to flair players to do those things that don’t come naturally.

“That said, the team we put out in any game is good enough to win against any team in the division, we believe that.”

Stamp is insistent that a top 10 finish is still a realistic aim for Trinity.

And he’s asking fans to be patient, in the knowledge that they aren’t going to beat everything before them between now and the end of the season.

“There are going to be ups and downs, we’ve had good and bad results and we can only ask the supporters to stick with us,” he said.

“We all know where we want to be, in the top 10 and then next season to be getting in and around the playoffs.

“That’s realistic I think.

“If you’re expecting us to win 3-0 every game, that’s not realistic.

“We can’t get too high when we win and we can’t get too low when we lose.

“You look at Solihull and Ferriby and they’ve put runs together of 10 games with just one or two defeats and a draw.

“Our best run is maybe four or five games, so we know what we need to be aiming for.”