SOUTHERN LEAGUE: Webb keen to maintain mental strength (From Swindon Advertiser)

SOUTHERN LEAGUE: Webb keen to maintain mental strength

11:45am Friday 1st March 2013 in Sport By Ned Payne

SUPERMARINE are down to the bare 14 players this weekend but boss Dave Webb is as concerned about his squad’s mental well-being as their various aches and pains.

The South Marston side take on Sholing at home tomorrow as they look to maintain their push for the Division One South & West play-offs, and the Southern League outfit are contending with a long list of absences.

Sam Morris and Jordan Roberts are both very doubtful with ankle injuries while full-back Danny Allen is suspended following his dismissal against North Leigh last month.

Centre-half Craig Curtis is away so Dave Bampton replaces him having been unavailable in midweek, while dual-registered Wootton Bassett man Tom Cole comes in.

“Looking at the league table we’re in with a great chance of making the play-offs, and I’m happy with the players I’ve got,” said Webb.

“I’m confident we can do it but it’s about making sure we keep the players as fresh as possible, not just physically but mentally as well. We need to keep our focus.

“We’re not going to win every game but if we do lose one it’s about how we react to that and how soon we get back to winning ways.”

Webb admits good fortune will need to play its part with the physical rigours of the season beginning to take their toll on his squad.

“We had seven games in February which we got through reasonably well, but we’ve got nine in March and eight in April,” he said.

“We’re still chasing the top teams but we’ll definitely need some luck.

“We’re lucky in that we have the ability to call on dual-registered players from New College and Shrivenham et cetera when we have injuries and suspensions.

“At the moment we’ve got a few missing, but we’ve still won the last two games.”

Marine face a Sholing side that have experienced mixed fortunes of late and are sitting in lower-midtable, roughly as many points away from the play-offs as they are from relegation.

And Webb is wary of the threat posed by his team’s ‘ambitious’ opponents.

“When we played them earlier in the season Sholing were confident of coming up into the play-off spots,” he said.

“They are a team that has obviously got ambition and want to be in that area.”