Still three in it says Meakin

Dare they dream? Will vertigo strike them down?

The Ridunians welcome Vale Rec to Mount Hale tomorrow knowing a victory would take them to within three points of St Martin’s at the top of the FNB Priaulx League table. Follow that up with another two home wins over Manzur and North the following two Saturdays and they will be top with just five games to go in another enthralling title race.

But, as Steve Concanen, the wise old defender and club spokesman, admits, those are all ‘ifs’.

‘It doesn’t change anything,’ he said yesterday.

‘We’ve still got to win every game to win the league.’

The odds on the blues running out at Springfield on ‘Upton’ day may be shortening, but they probably remain in double digits.

Meanwhile, Saints have a fortnight-plus off when they can sit back and watch developments.

Coach Leon Meakin has praised the Ridunians.

‘We have played Alderney twice and had two tough games. They are up there on merit,’ he said before the goalless draw with Rovers on Wednesday.

After that scrappy, nervous affair, he insisted that it was still a three-horse affair.

‘There’s some good teams in the league. We’ve still got North to play, Vale Rec, Manzur, Alderney – so I don’t think Rovers will think they are out of it yet. I wouldn’t in their position.

‘I’m pleased we don’t have to play them again, put it that way,’ he added.

As for the Rovers game itself, he felt the result was fair.

‘I think Rovers played better in the first half, we shaded the second half – it just took us a little while to settle into the game.

‘The longer it went on, we got better. Danny [Hale] and Dom [Heaume] made a difference when they came on, but I think a draw is a fair result in the end, I think both teams would have been a bit upset to have lost it.

‘Jason [Martin] made a couple of decent saves, I think we missed a couple of chances – not sitters, but they kind of just rolled past the post when they could have gone in. It could have been 2-2.’

As for Alderney tomorrow, they welcome back midfielder Ricky Moore, but will again be without captain Ross Benfield, who is suspended.

Had Sylvans not conceded a walkover to Alderney a fortnight ago, Benfield would have served his suspension. But, by all accounts, a walkover does not count with regard to suspensions, to the frustration of Concanen, who said his team need to play better tomorrow having been ‘awful’ against Bels.