Golcar United will play the final game of the regular league season on Saturday when they host champions Bury AFC in front of a sell-out club record crowd.
It is the biggest game in Golcar’s history and the Skye Direct Stadium will be full with over 1,200 people attending the game.
Boss Ash Connor is excited to put his team out against what is effectively a former football league club and despite there being nothing to gain from the fixture but pride Connor wants his team to give Bury a game.
“We said from the start that they would win the league and credit to them for that,” said Connor. “We’ll give them a guard of honour on Saturday.
“However we want to go out and beat them, it’s a huge occasion for our club. If you had said to me two years ago we’d be playing a former football league club in front of 1,200 people with a play-off game the week after I wouldn’t have believed you.
“It’s amazing how far we have come as a club and Saturday is a celebration for us. We’ve worked tremendously hard all season to get to this point and whilst the job isn’t done I want us to show how we can perform. There is no pressure on us and so I want the players to enjoy it.”
The Weavers have ended the league campaign in sticky form, losing to potential play-off rivals AFC Blackpool last weekend. Though they’ve finished third Golcar have lost three of the last five games and have only two wins in the last 10 matches.
Connor insists that the 2-1 scoreline against Blackpool last week didn’t tell the full story.
He said: “I normally don’t come out and be critical of referees but he made a lot of mistakes which cost us. I actually thought the lads’ performance was good and for large parts we were the better side. The penalty they got was seriously soft. I thought we deserved something from the game.”
Connor and his team will be hoping to go one step further and beat Bury this weekend. The Weavers were painfully defeated 7-3 by Bury in Lancashire and the Golcar boss doesn’t want a repeat of that scoreline earlier this season.
He said: “That was a really bad defeat for us, however at that time we were dealing with various players injured or suspensions. Since then we have added a number of players to the squad to make us a bit stronger and give us even more options. I expect it will be a different game this time around.”
READ MORE: Joe Skarz takes on challenge to raise money to help two year old get the cancer treatment she needs
Former Bury player now Golcar United defender Joe Skarz is excited for the fixture and to face his former team. Skarz played for the Shakers over two spells, the first between 2010 and 2013 and then again between 2017 and 2019.
On the upcoming game he said: “I’m looking forward to it, I think it’s the perfect game for Bury to have. If it had been against a mid-table team then it would have just been a kick around for them. However, I think they’ll want to come and turn us over to prove they are the best team in the league.
“There was a bit of needle in the game at their place which they deserved to win. However, the game will be good for us because it will prepare us well for our play-off game.”
The play-off game will be at the Skye Direct Stadium on Saturday April 9 (3.00) and tickets are available now. Buy them online HERE
