WITH the season approaching its end, Warrington Rylands have put themselves in a frankly superb position.
Second in the Northern Premier League Premier Division table with six games remaining, a promotion that seemed barely fathomable in pre-season is becoming more realistic by the week.
Having endured injury crises, the loss of key players and, more recently, the departure of manager Michael Clegg, they remain standing and now, player/co-caretaker manager Sam Wilson says the group want to finish what they have started.
There is plenty of work to be done before they can start dreaming of life at Step Two, starting with an Easter schedule that includes a 350-mile round trip to Morpeth Town on Saturday followed fellow play-off chasers Marine’s visit to Gorsey Lane just 48 hours later on Easter Monday.
Their cushion inside the all-important top five is five points and while the club remain relaxed about their promotion prospects, the playing group are keen to “finish what they started.”
“We had our own internal targets within the group, which we’ve reviewed as the season has gone on and we felt we could be competitive enough to be in the play-off positions,” said Wilson, who is currently in charge of first-team affairs alongside fellow senior player Dean Furman.
“It has gone better than we expected – I don’t think I’m surprising anyone by saying that – but we are where we are on merit.
“You don’t get to our position at this stage of the season with six games remaining by fluke.
“In terms of the pressure, it’s naturally there when it’s the business end and things are as tight as they are but this group enjoys being in high-pressure situations. We’re really keen to finish what we started.
“From a club perspective, they’re enjoying being a lot more stable off the pitch and that’s where the relaxed, open-minded approach comes from.
“For us, we’re in this position for a reason and we’ve got as good a chance as anybody else to go and get promoted.”
Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Hyde United means that, having lost their first game under the duo, Blues are unbeaten in four matches since then under Wilson and Furman while they remain the only side in English football’s top seven tiers with an unblemished away record.
Wilson is very much the touchline presence of the two while Furman – an internationally-capped footballer with South Africa – continues to be a crucial cog in the on-field machine.
Beyond that, though, how does their dynamic work – and would they be open to taking the role on a permanent basis?
“The priority for us at the moment is to finish the season as strongly as we can and finish what the group have started,” Wilson said.
“Initially when it came around, we thought it might just be for a couple of games but the club were really keen to keep some consistency in there for the group.
“In me and Dean, they felt they had that so they saw no reason to change anything.
“Beyond the end of the season, it obviously depends on the club and what their ambitions are.
“In terms of me and Dean, it’s something we didn’t expect to be doing but we’re at a stage that being coaches and managers would be of interest to us.
“I don’t think there’s ever a perfect time but if those opportunities arise at a good place with good people, it would be difficult to say no.
“We complement each other really well. We do pretty much everything together in terms of decision-making, planning for fixtures and anything internal.
“I’m not playing at the moment, which was quite an easy decision for both of us to make as I’ve had a stop-start season and the group have done well in that defensive area, whereas Dean has always been an important figure in that midfield area.
“In terms of how we share the load, I try and take as much off Dean as possible to make sure he’s able to play freely and be the best player he can be.
“With recruitment, training sessions, looking at the opposition and things like that, we do all of that together and it seems to work really well.”
One of those areas will be a particular focus this week – Thursday is the last day clubs can register players, including any new signings, for what remains of the campaign.
Business has already been done with versatile forward Luke Parkin being added to the squad, coming off the bench to make his debut against Hyde at the weekend.
Beyond that, Wilson confirmed they would still be active moving through the week but would also be happy to stick with what they have.
“We’re working hard behind the scenes to see if we can add one or two more players,” he said.
“If we can, fantastic but if for some reason the right player and person doesn’t become available, we’re more than happy to go beyond the deadline and finish the season with what we’ve got.
“We brought Luke Parkin into the group at the back end of last week and he’s got really good pedigree.
“He’s been with Farsley Celtic in the National League North for six years prior to this season and is flexible in terms of positions he can play, so he’s a really good addition.
“We’ve also had a couple of players come back to full fitness over the past couple of weeks, which is brilliant for us.
“We’re a really solid group and anybody coming in has got to add value to that and fit into what we’re about.”
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