Southern Mullings targets good FA Trophy run after victory against Parkway

DARREN Mullings feels his Yate Town team have every reason to enter tomorrow's FA Trophy opener against league rivals Poole Town confident they can progress.

- Simon PARKINSON

Yate Town manager Darren Mullings

Loan signing Oli Jenkins’ 90th-minute header from Corey Evans’ corner not only delivered the Bluebells three “much-needed” points from Saturday's 2-1 victory over Plymouth Parkway but ensured his side remained unbeaten at South West Interiors Stadium HQ five home games into an otherwise challenging Premier South start for them.

It was just what the doctor ordered following frustrating 2-0 and 4-2 away reverses at the hands of Dorchester Town and Basingstoke Town, respectively.

Small wonder manager Mullings expressed “relief all round” at Jenkins’ late intervention against Parkway at the weekend, watched by an equally delighted majority in a 310 Lodge Road turnout witnessing their team clamber out of the bottom four.

“Our home form has been a plus” Mullings acknowledged; “and that's been the case for over a year now.

“Saturday's win felt like a weight had been lifted, especially after the Basingstoke loss on the Tuesday night when we simply didn’t get up to the levels we feel we should be reaching by now.

“Dorchester on the Saturday was a disappointment too; but the Basingstoke defeat led to a lot of soul-searching on our part.

“The onus was on the players to show they could answer questions asked of them and us, and we showed against Plymouth a more solid side to our game.

“I did sense a few nerves at the start which is understandable, with players eager to react in the proper manner.

“We managed to take the lead (on 36 minutes) through Marlon Jackson’s penalty, only to give away an equaliser shortly after the break from a cross we failed to stop.