IAN LONG was delighted to create another piece of history for Alvechurch but warned past achievements will count for nothing when they make their bow in Step Three football.
The Church claimed pre-season silverware after two goals from Josh March, plus a Tom Turton penalty, sealed a 3-1 win against Redditch United in the Worcestershire Senior Cup final last week.
It was the first time Alvechurch had won the county’s premier competition since 1977.
But manager Long and assistant Rich Colwell stressed the players still have plenty to prove, especially with places up for grabs ahead of next weekend’s first match in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Central at home to Royston Town.
The last rehearsal comes tonight (Friday) when Evesham United visit Lye Meadow for the final friendly.
“Winning the Senior Cup shows how far the club and the team has come in a short period of time,” said Long, who has steered the club to two promotions in three seasons. “I was only two when they won the cup last time and it’s nice to be able to say we’re the top team in Worcestershire.
“But it’s a pre-season tournament and we know it’s going to be tougher when the season starts for real.
“I’ve told the players that what happened last season in winning promotion has gone now. That’s history. It’s all about this season and it’s about how we cope with the rigours of playing Step Three football.”
Long has been pleased generally with pre-season, with continued with two defeats to Hednesford Town (1-2) and Highgate United (0-1) last Saturday when the squad was split in two before they drew 2-2 at Sporting Khalsa on Tuesday. Another strike from March – who also scored against Hednesford – and a Turton penalty twice gave Alvechurch the lead but Lee Chilton and Jay Holdcroft levelled matters.
Long admits the team needs to cut out some sloppy play which had led to goals against, while injuries, which have left Kyle Morrison and Ryan Winwood doubtful to start the season, have been another concern.
But he has been pleased with how the summer signings have settled in, particularly Danny O’Callaghan, Aaron Birch and youngster Kieron Cook. But he stressed he still has questions to answer over who starts the season.
“The new lads have done well and if the other lads can find the form they showed last season, plus the extra quality, we can do well,” he added.
“There’s a lot of competition for places. At this stage of the season, I’m pretty sure of eight or nine of the starting XI for the first league game but I’ve probably got four or five definitely pencilled in at the moment. The Evesham game is their last chance to impress.”
Defender Morrison, who joined from Halesowen Town in the summer, is now due to see a specialist to assess his knee ligament injury after being hurt in the opening friendly against Malvern.
“It’s a big worry at the moment,” said Long. “Kyle showed in the ten minutes he played that he was a quality player.”
