New Chasetown boss Jamie Hawkins insists promotion aim remains firm
New Chasetown boss Jamie Hawkins says promotion remains the target and has labelled his side’s clash with Stalybridge Celtic as a “marker” of their competitiveness.
Hawkins stepped into the managerial role at the end of October following the departure of Mark Swann, under whom he served as assistant.
The Scholars will look to go four Northern One West games unbeaten when they host fifth-placed Stalybridge tomorrow, and Hawkins believes the contest will reveal a great deal about his team’s progress.
Asked whether promotion is still the aim, as it was under Swann, he said: “Absolutely, the objective doesn’t change. The objective for the football club is to progress and hopefully secure promotion.
“We know how incredibly difficult that is. It is a difficult landscape to work in, but a really engaging and challenging one, and one that we really embrace.
“The message from us on Saturday is to try and continue that momentum of results.
“We have been pretty strong at home so far this season. We will approach it trying to win, as we always do. But, we know they will be very strong.
“I believe they will be one of the sides competing at the top end of the table, so it will be a marker for us.
“We are going to pitch ourselves against, hopefully, a fellow promotion contender, so it will be a good indicator of where we are at and where we may need to be.”
Chasetown have won six of their nine home league matches this season, losing just once, and boast one of the tightest defences, having conceded only 19 goals.
“I am satisfied,” added Hawkins. “I am not going to say that it has been a good start because I don’t see it as a start. It very much is a continuation.
“Having worked so closely with Swanny for so long, the biggest testament that anyone can give to him, and certainly that I would like to, is the challenge of continuing the good work that he had done.
“I want to carry on the work that we had done together and that he had led, but it was bitter sweet at the same time. I was gutted when he stepped aside.”
Elsewhere, Sporting Khalsa, who are winless in seven league games, welcome Witton Albion while fellow strugglers Darlaston Town host Avro and Stafford Rangers entertain Vauxhall Motors.
In the Northern One Midlands, fifth-placed Lichfield City welcome Shepshed Dynamo.
