Chickerell UNITED 1

WESTLAND SPORTS 2

AFTER declaring he will once again lead the Chickens into battle next season, Maurice Welch is eyeing a top-half finish.

Chickerell ended an inconsistent Magna Dorset Premier League campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat at home to third-placed Westland Sports on Saturday – a result which sees them finish 14th in the table.

And Welch, who returned to the hot-seat following Chris Wilson’s resignation in November, is targeting a vast improvement in 2011/12.

He said: “I spoke to my assistant Terry Hind and although we have been in charge previously, we have never started a season, so we will stay on.

“When we took over from Chris the objective was to make sure we kept the team in the league and build for the future.

“After a lot of upheaval in the summer, Chris left us in mid-table so the pressure was off.

“Although results and performances have not always been what we hoped for, we have achieved our goal and the commitment from the lads has been excellent.

“There is a lot of building to do next year and we will look to strengthen where we can. But we have a solid base to build on and hopefully we can kick on and finish in the top half next season.”

Ben Skelton gave the hosts a half-time lead on at the weekend but Sports rallied in the second period and completed the comeback with just five minutes remaining.

Welch added: “It was a very close game and an entertaining one as well. The result wasn’t what we were hoping for but the lads played well so it was a good way to go out.

“We went 1-0 up and deservedly so after a good move between Ben and Liam Beades. Unfortunately we showed a lack of fitness in the second half and it cost us.

“We ran out of gas, they equalised midway through the half and then made it 2-1 five minutes from the end.

“They probably deserved it on their second-half performance but we had a very young side out and it’s a learning curve for them.

“We had five or six under the age of 21 but they now know what this level is about.”

Chickens: Bickerstaff, Peck, S Welch, Oldrid, Weeks, Hunter (Jamie Welch 75), Walbridge, Hoffmann (Jon Welch 55), Carlile, B Skelton, Beades.