SADDLEWORTH RANGERS’ coach Shane Tupaea has urged his players to focus on one game at a time as excitement builds following promising pre-season training.
Rangers kick off their 2014 campaign in Division One of the National Conference League against Milford Marlins on Saturday, March 1 after escaping relegation last season due to administrative punishments for other clubs.
But Tupaea said he is encouraged by the hard work of the squad so far and isconfident they can do well – but must not set their expectations too high too soon.
He said: “Training can really drag in this weather but over 40 turned up to our first session and the lads have put everything into it and now we’re really looking forward to the league.
“Craig Farrimond came up with a really good and varied training programme for pre-season and I really believe we’ll see the dividends.
“A lot of people are talking about us pressing for promotion but that is a mile away. We have a lot of new players and it will take time for them to settle.
“We’ve just got to keep focused and get settled before thinking about promotion – but the talent is there and the enthusiasm is there.
“A realistic target for us is to be around the middle of the table after the first round. If we achieve that then we can talk about possibly pushing for promotion.”
To help achieve this goal, Tupaea and his staff have drafted a document to work on players’ commitment and focus – something the coach questioned at times last season.
The document states that if players miss training they will be rotated down into the second team and must prove themselves to regain their place.
Players of the match will be promoted to the first team and given a chance to impress the coaches and earn a regular spot.
Tupaea declared: “So far the response has been good. The lads accept what we’re trying to do. We don’t want players to think they can just turn up and play for the first team.
“First and foremost I want to concentrate on getting players in training and having two teams out there each week as that hasn’t always happened.”
Away from the pitch, League Management have confirmed that from 2015 the top-flight will be a 12-team division, meaning four teams will be relegated in 2014 and only two teams promoted from Division One.
Tupaea commented: “It affects the game when we have to play more fixtures and travel more but I don’t think it is a big thing. I can’t see what the powers above are trying to achieve by doing it.”
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