Joe Rodwell-Grant: Momentum over Christmas is crucial

Warrington Town striker Joe Rodwell-Grant believes the Christmas period is the perfect time for the squad to build real momentum, having returned to winning ways on Tuesday night.

The Yellows fielded a strong side at Cammell Laird in the Cheshire Senior Cup in midweek, running out 3-1 winners at Kirklands thanks to goals from Rodwell-Grant and a Mikey O’Neill double.

Paul Carden’s side haven’t won a league game in little under two months, and Rodwell-Grant insists they need to take the positives from Tuesday’s cup display and replicate that in the league.

"It was important that we got a win under our belts as a team and managed to get that feeling back in camp,” he said.

"Cards stressed how important it was for us to go out there and do the little things properly. The challenge now is to take that winning mindset into Saturday.

"Winning is addictive. It's a habit which we need more of. We're all working hard to make sure that happens, and it's important that we take the positives from the Cammell Laird game into Saturday.

"Buxton are a tough team to play against, so to get a little kick-start on Tuesday and tidy up in some key areas was important for us as a group.”

Saturday’s game against Buxton marks the start of a busy two weeks for the club, with a trip to Southport on Boxing Day followed by home games against Marine on New Year’s Day and King’s Lynn Town on January 4.

Two of their upcoming opponents - Buxton and King’s Lynn - find themselves in the play-off places, while Southport are six points above the Yellows and Marine three points below, occupying a place in the relegation zone.

"Around Christmas, we've got some crucial games coming up, so we need to stay together and keep developing that winning formula to get where we want to be,” Rodwell-Grant added.

"We need momentum. If we can pick up some good points over Christmas and heading into the new year, you're looking at a really positive second half of the season.

"We were in a bit of a difficult situation in terms of results - perhaps less so performances.

"We've not had the wins to show for our efforts, and hopefully we can put that right in front of our home fans on Saturday.”

Read more from Joe Rodwell-Grant in Saturday's matchday programme, which will be available to buy for £3 as you enter the Cal.Delivery Stadium.