We’re not going to give up until it’s mathematically impossible and we just have to keep fighting, insists Glebe boss Gary Alexander

GLEBE manager Gary Alexander says his side must keep their season alive by beating Rusthall at Foxbury Avenue on Tuesday night.

 

Glebe were thrashed 6-2 at home by league leaders Beckenham Town in the Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Finals yesterday.

The Foxes are in seventh-place in the Sea Pioneer Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table with 30 points from their 18 league games, while Jimmy Anderson’s Rusthall side are in second-place in the First Division table with 41 points from 20 games, a point adrift of leaders Kennington.

Looking ahead to the Challenge Cup tie, where the winners will travel to Punjab United in the Quarter-Finals, Alexander said: “We have to come here on Tuesday full of energy and it’s another cup and make sure our season just doesn’t go out in the space of a couple of weeks.”

Glebe were denied a place in the Last 16 of The Buildbase FA Vase after losing 3-0 at Stowmarket Town thirteen days ago and being 17 points adrift of leaders Beckenham Town, despite having three games in hand on Jason Huntley’s side, the Challenge Cup may only be Glebe’s only chance of silverware this season.

“Look, listen, Rusthall are a good side.  I watched them here the other week against Stansfeld,” said Alexander.

“Stansfeld done well against them (winning 1-0 last weekend).  Rusthall are doing well, they’re winning games in their league and it’s going to be a tough game.

“Greenways came here earlier in the season and we showed them all the respect that we have to show.

“If we can turn up and be at our best then, as I said to you long before, I fancy us against anyone.

“We wasn’t at our best (against Beckenham yesterday) but we created six chances and I have to give credit to Beckenham because it looked like they just wanted it a little bit more and they were clinical in front of goal and we wasn’t clinical at times.”

Alexander insists he hasn’t written off his sides slender chances of winning promotion into the Isthmian League at the end of the season.

“Success for Glebe? Finishing as high as we can in the league,” said the 40-year-old.

“We’ve still in a cup, they’re not priority cups. You set out The FA Vase and The FA Cup but we’re not in them but it’s a chance for silverware so we don’t want the season to filter out, so success will be to win as many games as possible and try to finish as high as possible, higher than Glebe have finished in the past and see where it takes it.

“Can we can win every game? Who knows but it’s a tough ask but we’re not going to give up until it’s mathematically impossible and we just have to keep fighting.

“If we can’t go up, we’ll turn up and be professional and try to upset others.”

Alexander hopes his strikers find their goalscoring form against Rusthall after admitting his players are freezing when it comes to taking chances during games, as was the case at Eastern Counties League leaders Stowmarket and Beckenham in their last two outings.

“We do finishing week-in-week-out at training on Tuesday and Thursday but every session, small-sided games, hitting shots, hitting the target.  If you’d have been at training on Thursday you would have seen some of the goals scored within that training session. They were outstanding finishes.

“It seems to get to matchday and we’re freezing in front of goal at the moment or not letting shots go.”

Glebe  v  Rusthall
Sea Pioneer Southern Counties East Football League Challenge Cup Third Round
Tuesday 28 January 2020
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Foxbury Avenue, off Perry Street, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6SD