Casuals ready to start the season all over again

Casuals head to Darlaston Town to resume a West Midlands Premier Division campaign placed on an autumn hiatus by a series of unfortunate circumstances.

Gill’s men have seen two matches postponed due to waterlogged pitches, while clashes with Black Country Rangers and Worcester Raiders were called off due to issues surrounding their opponents.

Casuals, whose last match was a Staffordshire Senior Cup tie with Wolves Sporting on October 8, have spent the time playing a series of friendlies.

Gill said: “It has been tough, I’m not going to lie. You spend a lot of time getting the lads focused and into a routine.

“People don’t realise it but the biggest thing in this job is getting the players mentally ready.

“You train twice and week and then on Saturday there is the release of the game. For several weeks now they haven’t had that.

“You just hope we are able to hit the ground running but in many ways it is like going right back to the start of the season again. The past few weeks have been like pre-season for us.”

Having waited so long for a match, unbeaten Casuals now face a hectic schedule in order to catch up with the rest of the division.

A win tonight would see them leapfrog Darlaston, who have played five games more, and climb into the top three.

Gill said: “If I am being honest we could have had kinder fixtures to resume with than a trip to Darlaston.

“They are a good team and we will need to be on it right from the start, there is no doubt about that.

“We pretty much play every Saturday and Tuesday from now right up until Christmas. It is going to be hectic but we have to be ready for it.

“Of course, you never quite know how players are going to respond. But I know we have a good group.”