New target is top half finish for Louth Town in season finale

The White Wolves have had a good first season after being promoted into the Northern Counties East League Division One, but two defeats in a row have scuppered their hopes of a top 10 finish.

“We had a shot at a top 10 finish a couple of weeks ago,” said Martin.

“That was our remit and we fell short of that.

“But it's vital we finish on a high and get three points at Harrogate to cement a finish in the top half of the table.

“But Harrogate is a difficult place to go and they are also in and around the top half and will also be wanting to finish with a win.

“We do have a few injuries and knocks. It's been a long old season.

“We will have played 44 league games and with the cup games too it will be around 50 games.

“Some of the lads are looking really tired, probably through the travel and playing two games a week. It's starting to wear a bit thin on some.”

Louth were beaten 2-1 at home by Clay Cross Town in their final home game on Saturday.

Paul Coulam netted their 33rd minute equaliser soon after going behind, but they conceded again on 68 minutes and failed to recover a second time, despite two excellent late chances, one of which struck the crossbar.

“I was really disappointed with the lads on Saturday – they fell well short of the standards and levels we have set,” said Martin.

“We didn't really get going, especially in the first half hour, and found ourselves behind.

"We did not pick the tempo of the game up.

“But we quickly equalised and we were then in the ascendency up to half-time.

“The half-time whistle hit us hard really as second half we were flat again with no energy.

“We did have enough chances to win two matches and we hit the bar twice. We got into good areas but lacked quality.

“It was a really bad day at the office and fair play to Clay Cross, they just wanted it more than we did, which is against what is usually part of our DNA.”