WEMBLEY or no Wembley Wealdstone’s crucial league clash with Metropolitan Police tonight was always going to be a massive psychological test according to boss Gordon Bartlett.
Stones welcome the men of Imber Court to the Vale, just over 48 hours on from the crushing disappointment of seeing their FA Trophy dreams ended by AFC Newport, leaving little time for emotional scars to heal.
It’s a game Bartlett’s men must win having lost ground to other playoffs hopefuls, Police included during their Trophy giant-killing exploits.
Bartlett knows it is a big ask to lift his players, but claimed the challenge would have been just as big in a different sense had his boys now had Wembley on the horizon.
He said: “Mentally to lose today has a devastating effect because of the goal or the reward at the end of it.
“They haven’t got it and to a lot of young players we have got that is a huge disappointment.
“Having said that in the other scenario if we had won they would have been looking at Wembley, focusing on that and maybe not wanting to get injured, so it could have been difficult emotionally either way.
“I’d have far preferred to be working on the second scenario I can’t deny that, but we’ve got to pick them up.”
Physically, Bartlett can reshuffle his pack a little with the likes of James Hammond, who sat out the second leg of the Newport tie on the bench and the cup tied Tom Pett to throw into the mix, while Alex Dyer too may play a part as he continues his comeback from long-term injury.
Met Police arrive also desperate for the three points, their own promotion prospects dwindling from a run of five defeats in the last 10 games, the latest away to Stones’ relegation-haunted arch rivals Harrow Borough on Saturday.
Bartlett knows regardless of the Newport result his side’s run of just three defeats in 36 including the glorious cup exploits suggests they have nothing to fear from anyone in the Ryman Premier League.
He added: “I don’t think it is any lack of ability we need to worry about on the league run in.
“Hopefully we can heal the wounds quickly and get back to playing the way we were, get a couple of wins and we will be right back in the frame to have a good crack at something we set out for at the start of the season which is a realistic shout at the playoffs.”
