CAPTAIN Ed Gough reckons finishing 2016 with a flourish can provide Tenbury with the platform for a promotion bid in the second half of the season.

The Palmer’s Meadow outfit go into the final five games of their Midlands Five West (North) campaign one bonus-point victory behind Greyhound in the second promotion place.

Saturday sees Tenbury travel to Greyhound before hosting league leaders Market Drayton at the end of the month with Gough confident his comrades have what it takes to sustain their push.

“It is a big challenge but beating Chaddesley before Christmas put us in the best possible position to have a go at them,” said the skipper.

“We know we can beat them and we have a lot of confidence. I am sure they will, too, but we want to be promoted and I think that is possible if we win these next two games.

“I think we can win both, it will require our best but I see no reason why we can’t. Anything is possible.”

Looking back on Tenbury’s fortunes over the past calendar year, Gough added: “If you look at Christmas time last year, we are now in a much better position in the league and the club itself is in such a better place.

“We have a lot of young lads showing potential and plenty of depth now which is really helping us. The performances are a lot more organised, we look fitter, sharper and better at handling the ball all round.

“The general attitude towards how we play is totally different, people are hungrier and while the personnel has not changed much it feels like a totally different team.

“We are still finding our feet in some ways. Our lads have not had five or six seasons under their belts and when you consider that, we are doing really well.

“We have slipped up two or three times but in 2017, we want to continue to push ourselves and move forward. We have to make sure what has happened in the past 12 months happens again in the next year.

“There are still a few more foundations still to be laid and then built on but we are in pretty good shape. There is a really positive feel about the place, we get 20 players there every week without a problem.”

In the football, Tenbury United return from the festive break with a home clash against Wellington reserves in the Herefordshire Premier.

Division One leaders Tenbury Town entertain Hereford City in a top-of-the-table clash (both 2pm).