CITY boss Tim Harris reflected on a game of two halves as his charges returned from the Second City with all three points.
The Blue and Whites made it five wins out of six on the road after two goals within a minute from Billy Shaw and Bailey Fuller secured all three points at Romulus on Saturday (October 30)
The win cemented the Blue and Whites’ fourth spot in the Midland Premier Division, just three points off leaders Hanley Town, although the Potteries side have three games in hand.
“I think we wanted it more in the second half. It was a scrappy affair in the strong wind and with these 3G pitches the ball should always run true but it doesn’t always,” said Harris, reflecting on Saturday’s performance.
“I thought we played some good football at times which began a great save from Adam Harrison in the first half to keep it at 0-0.”
Harris has challenged his side to ‘go on a run and build some momentum’ and not return to the inconsistency which blighted their early season.
“We’ve got three games on the spin now,” he said. “The confidence in the dressing room at the end compared to half-time was completely different, that’s the learning curve we’re on.”
Aaron Roberts returned for City at Romulus but as with recent games injuries affected the line-up as Fortune Maphosa withdrew through injury.
The first half was one largely to forget although City did get the ball in the net after 15 minutes.
A quick burst down the left led to Will Gibbons pulling the ball back from the goal line into the path of Fuller who made half a connection before Shaw finished, only for the linesman to signal that the ball had gone out of play.
But it was 1-0 in the 47th minute. Pressure from the City forward line forced Romulus keeper Josh Benton to mis-kick his clearance to Gibbons who squared for Shaw six yards out who calmly finished.
Within 60 seconds, it was 2-0 as Roms played the ball down the left which was cleared for a throw-in.
City won the ball back before Chris Withington sent a perfect ball forward down the right into the path of Gibbons.
He outran the defence supported by Fuller and Shaw who combined to hand the visitors an advantage they wouldn’t surrender.
Harris’s men return to Claines Lane on Saturday (November 6) for the visit of lowly Bewdley Town. The game has been ear-marked as a celebration of City’s fan ownership and the faithful have been asked to bring two extra people to the game, specifically someone who hasn’t been for a while and someone who has never been to a City game at Claines Lane.