Diss Town manager Garth Good sets Pinchbeck United performance as benchmark to deliver play-off place
Diss Town manager Garth Good has said Saturday’s performance against Pinchbeck United has to be the benchmark they live up to across their remaining nine games to ensure they hold onto a play-off spot.
Headers from their recent young loan signing from Thetford Town, Malachi Wright, and Charlie Webb inside the opening 20 minutes put The Tangerines in the box seat to register a first win in three Thurlow Nunn League First Division North matches.
Conceding a penalty just before the interval, tucked away by Julian Ward, made things slightly uncomfortable for the home fans. But they were eventually assured of a victory to celebrate, having seen their side lose 3-2 to Gorleston Reserves last Tuesday, when substitute Oliver Williams restored the two-goal advantage in the 92nd minute.
It leaves Diss, in the final play-off spot, with a three-point gap to FC Peterborough while being seven points off the side above them, Harwich & Parkeston, who have played two games less, as they look to hang tough to extend their season.
“I think the pleasing aspect on Saturday, as a football manager you don’t always get to say this, when you look across a team and everyone puts on a really good performance,” said Good.
“I’ve said to the boys, we’re competing against people with one of the smallest budgets in the league.
“I’ve said to all the lads, if we’re going to compete that’s what we need out of you every week. Everyone’s got to turn up to the party and give everything they’ve got.
“Even if we fall short, people who watch us can always get behind you. They want to see you giving everything you’ve got for the cause in an attempt to get out of the league.
“I thought they did that really well on Saturday. I couldn’t be more pleased than I was on Saturday with the lads, to be fair.”
On that being their benchmark now, heading into a trio of away matches which begin on Tuesday at relegation-threatened Haverhill Borough (7.45pm), he said: “Absolutely, it’s got to be.
“Up until now, if I’m being completely honest and trying to be constructively critical, that’s maybe been our Achilles heel the last year and a bit.
“when we’re playing very well, we do play well. Our level of consistency has maybe not been exactly where we want it to be.
“But if we look at where the club was before I took over and where we are in the last year and a half, I think we’ve seen massive progress.
“I’m not naive to say we’re the finished article yet, but we’re going in the right direction, which is all we can ask from the boys.”
And he feels their away run, with the midweek trip to Haverhill, after a free weekend, followed by Saturday games at Leiston Under-23s and then Pinchbeck again, is crunch time as they look for repeat performances.
“I think these next three games are going to be really massive for us,” he said.
“Tuesday night will be a real tough one as Haverhill are fighting to try and stay in the league, which presents a challenge.
“We’re going to go there on a Tuesday night where people have to try and get work off, as that’s not always possible.
“But it’s one we’ve got to try and approach in a really positive manner.
“We have the aspiration to try and get out of this league. Our performance in the next three
games is going to really determine how close we are to achieving that this season.”
Centre-back Kehan Whitby came off with a hamstring issue in the first half but the extent of it is not yet clear. But Good feels the weekend off must be viewed ‘as a positive’ for players who are carrying knocks.
