No one's given us a hope in hells chance of staying up, says VCD Athletic boss Keith McMahon

VCD ATHLETIC manager Keith McMahon says he is confident he can guide the club towards safety by the end of the season.

The Vickers claimed their first league win of the season at the 20^th attempt when they defeated fellow strugglers and already relegated Farnborough 2-1 at Oakwood on Tuesday night.

With storm Barney battering the country, VCD Athletic gave themselves a massive lift, going 2-0 up by the break through Richie Graham and Donovan Simmonds.

Farnborough, who have been relegated through their financial problems and will be playing Step Five football next season should they finish in the relegation zone, pulled a late goal back through Estonian striker Bogdan Vastsuk, who is on loan from Championship side Reading, late on but McMahon’s men held on to celebrate their only their second win in 25 games.

“I’m confident we can get out of it,” said McMahon after the game, when interviewed in the physio room, with the winds blowing heavily outside.

McMahon has already used 40 players this season as the club came to terms with manager Tony Russell leaving the club at the end of last season and leaving McMahon with no players from last season’s squad.

“It’s been really tough, it’s been harder than what I thought,” admitted McMahon.

“I felt more sorry for the club than myself. It’s a challenge we like.

“There’s been a few people, a few cynics over the course of a few months that haven’t given us too much of a chance and looked into the bigger picture of the whole team going, not just one or two, but we’ve had to get on with it. It hasn’t affected us.

“You’ve just got to believe in your own ability. The chairman (Gary Rump) has been excellent. Everyone’s still backed us and hopefully (the win over Farnborough) gives them something little to smile about.

“The last couple of months they can see there’s improvement. They can see we can compete.

“It’s been tough but hopefully they’ll be something at the end of the year and we can put it behind us and move the club forward.”

VCD Athletic maintained their Ryman Premier League status with six wins on the bounce and the end of the season.

McMahon, whose side are 10 points adrift of safety with 26 games left, said: “I won’t call it a Great Escape. There’s loads of points to play. We’ll take the next game, win and we’ll go from there.

“No one’s given us a hope in hell’s chance (of staying up). We were already way behind the eight ball at the beginning of the season so we’ll just see what happens.

“It won’t be a Great Escape. If we get out from where I’m sitting but I just want to see how we go in the next few weeks and take as many points as we can and hopefully sneak up without anyone seeing us.”

McMahon takes his side to Harrow Borough on Saturday, a side that are in 11^th in the table.

“They had a good start, they’ve had a few dodgy results the last few weeks. 

“It’s a game we can go up there and win, if we show the same character and desire.”

Visit VCD Athletic’s website:  www.vcdathleticfc.uk

Harrow Borough  v  VCD Athletic
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 21^st November 2015
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Earlsmead Stadium, Carlyon Avenue, Harrow, Middlesex HA2 8SS