Workington head coach Phil Veivers considers this weekend’s contest with fierce rivals Whitehaven as a must win game.
The third Cumbria derby of the season arrives with both clubs occupying the relegation places in the Championship.
Workington’s victory over Dewsbury last weekend meant they caught some ground up on their relegation rivals, but remain seven points adrift of tenth placed Oldham. Meanwhile, Whitehaven are three points adrift of those above them following their heavy defeat to Bradford.
With Town having just nine games remaining to avoid relegation, Veivers believes they must defeat their local counterparts to remain in the hunt.
When asked if it was a must-win game, the Workington head coach said:
“I would think so.
“Our whole thought pattern now is about trying to be on all the team coattails going into the eights, that’s why I think it’s important that we get this win this week.”
Despite the obvious importance of the fixture, Veivers insists the game is more important than the implications it has on the league table.
“Whichever way you look at it, this is more about pride,” he said. “It’s about bragging rights in Cumbira. Irrelevant of what’s going on, I’m sure when three o’clock comes on Sunday we will be ready to play.
“They’re in a similar position to us. They’re in the relegation positions and they’ve suffered from injuries just as much as we have. Their story is the same as ours, they’ve been good in games, looked competitive and been in a position to win games, but then fall a little bit short. I think our season mirrors theirs, and the difference between the two sides are the two wins Whitehaven have got over us. They’ve got the bragging rights at the moment and we’ve got a chance to take that away from them.”
The team’s preparations have been disrupted by the ongoing financial problems the club are struggling with, which has forced the club to ask players to take a pay cut.
It’s affected training this week,” Veivers admitted.
“I’m hoping a few answers have been given this week and allow us to settle down and rip in this week. Mentally when all this stuff is going on it becomes the focal point, it distracts what you’re trying to do, so credit to the boys last week in showing great passion and pride this week.”