Unlikely X’Roads in promotion contention
X’Roads coach Don Vickers puts his team’s surprisingly high position in the First Division down to their togetherness and unity.The side currently sit in fourth place, four points behind leaders Somerset Trojans, who have a game in hand, and level on points with second place MR Onions who have a superior goal difference.While many are surprised by their lofty league position, Vickers for one is not.“The main thing that’s allowing us to succeed is the moral code that our players exhibit,” said Vickers. “I can honestly say that they’re a great group of guys that are professionals, deeply engrained in their families and religion and other things that allow them to be better on the pitch. They are well grounded role models.“The main thing for me is that it isn’t about winning or losing, the main thing is about improving performances and this is what that I push on them. “X’Roads have taken the scalps of Wolves, MR Onions, Hamilton Parish and Robin Hood as well as earning a draw against Trojans this term to put themselves in a position to fight for promotion. Although they lost 30 goals during the off-season with their key strikers departing for pastures new, X’Roads are in a good position for promotion with BAA and Ireland Rangers their final two fixtures of the campaign.“Our motto this year is to increase our level of football,” he said. “This is a plan that will not only help the game itself, but also our club and hopefully be a model for other clubs.“I’m very optimistic about the rest of the season. I believe that we have good momentum and our players are very much humble and hungry.“We lost two strikers that between them scored about 30 goals and that was our biggest fear.“But other players have made the extra effort and carried the extra burden and everyone has stood up and done the job well.“I wanted the team to go out and defend and attack as a team, we may not score 100 goals but we don’ concede too many either.“This season has been about the fundamentals of the game and really teaching the basics well and bettering ourselves in all aspects.”X’Roads take on YMSC at Bernard Park on Sunday.