Fylde boss Jim Bentley boosted by striker options for busy holiday weekend

AFC Fylde boss Jim Bentley is delighted to have striker Jack Sampson back in contention for their holiday weekend double-header.
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AFC Fylde winger may face a lengthy spell on the sidelines

The frontman suffered a hamstring injury in the season-opening win at Guiseley a fortnight ago, as did winger Nathan Shaw.

But while Shaw is set to be sidelined for some time, Sampson has been back in training this week to give manager Bentley a welcome option up front as he prepared for tomorrow’s trip to Hereford, which is quickly followed by a Mill Farm Monday meeting with Southport.

Jack Sampson is back in contention for AFC Fylde's holiday weekend double-headerJack Sampson is back in contention for AFC Fylde's holiday weekend double-header
Jack Sampson is back in contention for AFC Fylde's holiday weekend double-header
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And with Jordan Hulme suspended, Fylde moved fast to bring in forward cover in the form of Joe Spigott, who impressed on debut in last weekend’s 1-0 home win over Boston United.

Bentley told The Gazette: “Jack Sampson is back in training flat out and hopefully he can play this weekend.

“With Jordan Hulme still serving a six-game suspension, Joe came in and had to work extra hard.

“He hadn’t trained much but did really well and he was right up with the top players in the match stats for the Boston game.

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“He’s a player Nick (assistant manager Chadwick) and I both know well from Wigan and Morecambe.

“He’s a capable lad and we’ll need him going into these two games, when we’ll be looking at a bit of squad rotation.”

The focus firstly is on Hereford, where Fylde aim to continue their 100 per cent start to the season.

The Coasters are among four teams setting the pace after winning both games, whereas Hereford have had to settle for a single point from theirs.

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But Fylde certainly won’t be taking them lightly and Bentley added: “Hereford are one of the fancied sides and they beat us at their place last season.

“I watched that game from home (while recuperating from heart surgery last December) and they looked quite a good footballing side.

“They have lost both centre-halves since then and have lost their striker Lenell John-Lewis to Grimsby.

“But they still have capable players and the fans always get behind them down there, so it will be a tough test for us.”

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But Bentley’s focus will be on his own charges and their bid for a third straight win.

He said: “We’ve had two good wins, one away and one at home, and it doesn’t really matter how you get them.

“We have been playing quite well and creating opportunities but I believe there is more to come from us, individually and collectively, and that’s a good sign.

“You can’t ask for more than six points out of six, though, and it’s something to build on.

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“We’ve had a good week. We’ve had a couple of little injuries to contend with, including Jack, and we are managing them right.

“We have to get the work/rest ratio right with another game on Monday.

“We’ve had no midweek games so far this season, so it’s seemed like a long wait between matches when we want to build momentum.

“We go from that to two games in three days but we’ll embrace the challenge.”

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