By James Burch
Once again Clitheroe forward Jay Hart is cup-tied for Tuesday’s Lancashire FA Challenge trophy game away at Bamber Bridge but still expects his side to put up a great fight in his absence.
After performances for Padiham earlier in the season, Hart can only watch from the stands but against a side placed higher in the league than his, he believes that his team have it in them to shake of the underdog tag and progress into the semi-finals.
He said; “"It will be a very tough game against Bamber Bridge tomorrow, I'm gutted to be cup tied again but we've certainly got a strong enough squad to do the business."
Adding; “I think we can expect a competitive game, it will be fast paced with plenty of tackles going in. I think if the lads just stay strong there's no reason they can't take the win.”
Having played in the same league as ‘The Brig’ for many seasons, the 24 year old front man knows all about Tuesday night’s opponents and believes the game will be won or lost in the forward areas of the pitch, especially with Bamber Bridge forward Andy Bell being in great form this year;
“They are a threat going forward, we need to make sure we defend from the front and keep them out. We definitely need to defend a lot better than the last time we played them.”
With such a young in-experienced side, a place in the semi-finals this year would represent an amazing achievement for Simon Garner’s men and the former Colne FC striker believes that building together will help the side;
“Getting into the semi-final would be a huge achievement and to win the cup would be even better with such a young squad. It will prove where we are going as a club, I think the team we have is quality and will only improve the longer we play together.”