Boro’ boss Graham Westley was recently rewarded for the club’s fine form in December with a nomination for the Manager of the Month award. Westley was one of four League Two bosses to be shortlisted for the award, alongside AFC Wimbledon’s Neal Ardley, Newport County’s Justin Edinburgh and Tranmere Rovers’ Micky Adams.
Though Boro’ lost their opening game of December – 2-0 away to Newport – Westley’s side followed it up with three successive wins over Exeter City, Dagenham & Redbridge and Cambridge United to make it a happy Christmas for everyone. Charlie Lee scored in all three of those wins, but they were not enough to earn Westley the Manager of the Month award, which went to Ardley instead.
However, given the fabled Manager of the Month award curse, which usually sees the recipient lose the next game, Westley is likely to be thankful he didn’t get the nod. The first game after the announcement saw Wimbledon head to the Lamex Stadium last Saturday. But goals from Tom Pett and Simon Walton, from the penalty spot, were enough to give Boro’ a 2-1 win.
The result moved Boro’ to within just one point of the play-offs as the win extended the unbeaten run to five games following a 0-0 draw at Morecambe to start 2015. Speaking after the 3-2 win over Cambridge, which closed out a difficult 2014 for us, Westley wasn’t getting carried away by his side’s upturn in form.
“We’re not going to start counting our chickens, this is a funny game,” said Westley. “The minute you take anything for granted it will kick you in the teeth.”
Westley is certainly right to be cautious given the competitive nature of League Two. Unlike if you are looking at La Liga betting, where you can expect three or four long odds-on shots every weekend, such an occurrence is rare in League Two.
It is only occasionally that you will find a really short-priced favourite to win a match in League Two. Later this month, Westley will find out just how far Boro’ have come over the past few weeks with a trip to Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury have the only unbeaten home record in League Two and the promotion hopefuls have won 10 and drawn two of their 12 games in front of their own fans this season. Yet there is cause for optimism for Boro’. Shrewsbury have already been beaten once this season when Darius Charles’ first-half goal secured a 1-0 win.
The challenge is to repeat that performance and result to keep the push for promotion back to League One on track. Westley will definitely be hoping his side can maintain their unbeaten run. The last time Boro’ went five games unbeaten was in February and March last year.
On that occasion, it was a six-match unbeaten run. But it was followed by just one win in 12 games and relegation to League Two after finishing bottom of League One. The signs, though, are much more positive this time around.
by EEPaul
