Coleshill boss Casey warns against derby complacency

[Alan Beckett]

Coleshill boss Casey warns against derby complacency
Writes the Coleshill Herald

COLESHILL Town boss Paul Casey says his side must show respect to local rivals Heather St John as the two go head-to-head in the Midland Alliance on Saturday.

Coleshill are currently flying high in seventh place in the Alliance while Heather are in the bottom two, with just one win all season.

That victory did come in their last match, however, as they beat Tipton Town.

And Casey has warned his players they will have to be on their mettle this weekend.

He said: "Look, if you don't turn up with the right attitude for any game in the Alliance, you will get turned over. It's as simple as that.

"Heather will be no different. Their boss Lee Barrow is a good football man and Heather are a great club.

"They have had some real bad luck this season so far and results haven't reflected their performances.

"They had a big turnaround of players in the summer but they have a good balance now.

"They had a massive win over Tipton on Saturday so will come here full of confidence."

Casey says he hopes his side are more on the ball than they were against Racing Club Warwick last weekend.

The Colemen won their FA Vase first round tie 4-2 but had to come from 2-0 down against their Midland Combination Premier opponents.

"It was a great win in the end but we didn't play well," he said.

"We underestimated them in the first 15 minutes and, without doubt, we were complacent and thought we just had to turn up.

"We didn't come out of the blocks, went 2-0 down and could have been 3-0 behind.

"But we got a foothold in the game and eventually took control. We could have won by seven or eight in the end."

The win has earned Coleshill a trip to Long Eaton United in round two of the Vase and Casey is delighted.

"If you had told me at the start of the season that, by October, we would be seventh in the Alliance and in round two of the Vase, I would have bitten your hand off," he said.

"We are playing some good stuff. Our defending as a unit is not as good as it could be and that's something we need to work on.

"But, going forward, we have real attacking threat and we have goals in us so there's a lot to be positive about right now."

Coleshill, meanwhile, have signed former Tamworth FC left back Craig Reid from Castle Vale while striker Dan Holgate has also arrived from Continental Star.

They join recent additions, striker Matt Brown and midfielder Dean Rathbone but Jon Powis has been released.

Leon Weller, meanwhile, has turned down the chance to sign for Shepshed.