Sleaford boss is keen to be ‘best team’

Tom Ward prepares to bundle home the equaliser on Saturday. Photo: Steve W Davies Photography.

Sleaford Town player-manager Tom Ward has enforced his desire to see his team be the best side in the United Counties League Premier North next season.

The Greens were beaten on penalties on Saturday at Harrowby United in the semi-finals of the South Kesteven Charity Cup, Ward himself bundling in a second-half equaliser.

And speaking to the club’s media channels after the game, he was happy enough with the performance his side put in, and reiterated how much of a challenge he wants his players to make on the top spots this season.

He said: “It was nice and competitive and I thought we were superb for large periods of the game and I was delighted with our overall performance.

"We identified a few things from the first two games that we wanted to do better, and I thought we controlled the ball completely and got good players on the ball in dangerous areas.

"Our shooting wasn’t the best today – I think we had 20 or 30 shots from crosses which is tremendous but we have to put them away. We’ve got a lot of big lads who will put them away on another day.

"We can’t compete with a lot of clubs in this division budget-wise but we have assets like myself with my experience in football and Charlie [Ward] with his education background that can help coach and develop people and I think we’re seeing that in spades with some of our rotations and we look really good on the ball.

"We want to improve and be the best that we can be physically, and hopefully that reflects with a good league finish at the end of the season.

"Our aim is always to the be the best team in the league.”

Sleaford will begin their UCL Premier North league campaign on Saturday, July 27 with a home game against Hucknall Town.

They then go to Wellingborough Town in the FA Cup a week later, before a league trip to Deeping Rangers on Tuesday, August 6.