Market Drayton must address home form quickly

In clear contradiction of the time honoured expectation that home teams enjoy an advantage, Town have lost all but one of this season’s 13 Northern One South East outings at Greenfields.

It’s arguably why they’re now bottom of the table, on just 17 points, level pegging with Wisbech Town but well behind them on goal difference.

“That’s got to stop,” says Stevens. “I don’t like to say it, but it’s appalling, especially as we’ve done pretty well in our away games.”

In Loughborough, Town would appear to have the ideal starting point – their record on the road is almost as bad as Drayton’s at home. They’ve won only two of 12 on their travels, but have also proved the value of being good ‘homers’ by holding down 11th place in the league.

Town’s long-recognised shortage of finishing power – a rare consistency amid the constant changes this season – remains the main concern.

Town’s goal in Saturday’s hard-earned 1-1 draw at Kidsgrove came from holding midfielder Jamie Hands, who also got within inches of snatching a dramatic winner with his brave lunge into the six-yard box seconds from the end.

These apart, a couple of cracking shots from distance by returning Michael O’Reilly before he limped off injured and a few assorted efforts offering routine work for giant keeper Kieran Harrison were about the best Drayton could muster.

Stevens added: “I totted up the ages of our lads after the game and it averaged out at a shade over 20 years old. They’ve all been signed since Christmas and to be progressing as well as they are convinces me the results are going to come.”