Grayson refuses to dismiss the top 2

Simon Grayson has refused to rule out the top two positions in this seasons race for promotion from npower league one.

Whilst all supporters and players are seemingly set for the play-off lottery Simon has refused to dismiss the possibility of second place just yet.

‘We aren’t going to dismiss the top two, but losing two games over Easter certainly hasn’t helped us. We just need to win as many games as possible and if that means we secure a Play-Off place then let’s do it with some momentum. We have got players that are capable of getting us promoted – our season is far from over.’ Said Grayson speaking to htafc.com

‘We are disappointed with how we performed over the Easter period. We had a chat with the players on Tuesday and they were back in training on Thursday looking bright. To go up automatically is going to be very tough, but we will try and win the next four games in case anybody slips up. It will also give us some momentum if we end up heading into the Play-Offs.’

‘All the players are playing for their futures – regardless if they are out of contract or not. You should never begin to feel comfortable because that is when you will let your standards slip and this is a fantastic Club that a lot of players would like to play for. If players are not producing performances then there are players who can come in and replace them, which is what we will ultimately do over the summer months with one or two players.’

So what of Saturday’s opponents Preston North End, a team that haven’t won since early March and recently played Sheffield Wednesday with a defender in place of a striker as a tactical gamble that didn’t pay off!

‘They are a hard working and organised team who have got one or two good experienced players like Paul Coutts, Iain Hume and Paul Parry. However, it is about what we do and how we respond from last weekend. We need to be better with and without the ball and we have worked hard to try and achieve a positive result.

‘I don’t know much about Graham Westley – I have never come across any of his teams before, but they have got a reputation of being hardworking and organised. On Saturday it is all about Preston vs. Huddersfield Town and we will go there in a positive manner and get back to the things that we are good at doing, like we displayed against Charlton and Leyton Orient. I would like to think that we can match them physically; football is all about being physical with your mind and body to deal with the demands of the opposition. We will need to match them, win our own individual battles and when we have the ball keep it better because that has been one of the things that we haven’t done over the last few games.’



I’m not quite sure Simon is going to endear himself to a certain section of fans by declaring he is still aiming for second, I think we all know that feat is un-achievable now – We must get ourselves sorted and in-for for the play-off campaign for the third season running.

The only thing that concerns me is the fact he states that he ‘won’t be tinkering with the team’ – this is probably what does need to be done as so far he has continued to run down the dead end tactics that saw Lee Clark lose his job in February.

We need to remember how to WIN and Quickly!