REVAMPED Pershore Town will continue to mix youth and experience to transform their fortunes after chalking up their first win since November, says manager Quentin Townsend.
Townsend and assistant boss Danny Scheppel both laced up their boots for a depleted Town side as they halted a run of eight successive defeats with a 4-3 win at Nuneaton Griff on Saturday.
However, teenage strike duo Reece Jacobs, who scored twice on his debut, and Ben Lane were among the goals and Townsend says youthful energy and endeavour will help provide a longer-term foundation.
“It wasn’t ideal but I had a threadbare squad so I had to play in defence but, with Danny in midfield, it seemed to give us that sense of composure,” said Townsend.
“An experienced voice was needed to help the younger lads.
“I only played through necessity because we were short of centre halves but I think Danny will continue to have a role out on the pitch.
“When he joined us, he’d decided he wasn’t going to play because he was 35 but I think he has missed it. He was champing at the bit to play again and he made a big difference.”
Pershore will be hoping former Evesham, Redditch and Bromsgrove midfielder Scheppel, who had joined as assistant after Kim Casey had to step down, will be a catalyst in a line-up that will continue to evolve in the next few months.
After half a dozen players exited, the rebuilding will include former Pershore midfielder Scott Finnegan, who has returned to the King George V Stadium after work commitments in London had left his football on hold for the past couple of seasons.
Townsend will also be following up several other approaches in the next few weeks but he was delighted with how new recruit Jacobs made such a positive impact alongside Lane, another former Kidderminster Harriers academy player.
“Reece linked up really well with Ben and, although they are both young, they showed they can be a real handful to any team in this division,” said Townsend.
“They ran riot. Every time we got the ball forward they caused Griff problems.”
‘Onwards and upwards’ is Townsend’s message as they look to push towards mid-table in Midland League Division One, with successive home games coming up against Pelsall Villa on Saturday and then against Bolehall Swifts the following weekend.
“So much of football is about confidence and it’s amazing what one win can do,” said Townsend.
“Everybody is buzzing again after what has been a difficult few weeks.
“After having not scored for eight games, we celebrated our first goal like it was the FA Cup winner. When Nuneaton equalised, our heads could have dropped, but we showed plenty of character to bounce back. That was something we’ve lacked and hopefully we can push on again.”
Although skipper Shaun Griffiths will be absent again as he recovers from a nasal operation, Town hope to have Chris Charles back available to face Pelsall.