Now we’ll see how good we really are - that’s the message from Shifnal Town boss Darren Goodall ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Midland Alliance high-fliers Loughborough Dynamo.
Shifnal suffered a 4-0 battering at home to Shropshire rivals Market Drayton in the big Boxing Day clash at Phoenix Park.
And Goodall believes his side will have to show all of their character and grit to bounce back from that straight away.
“It’s a great game to have from my point of view and it’s an opportunity for us to test ourselves,” he said.
“I think we’ve potentially got a very good side for this league and it will be interesting to see how they react to a bad defeat.”
Shifnal have a full squad available, including new signing Ben Porter - who signed from Bedworth in time to make his debut in the Drayton debacle.
“We’ve got a good squad of 20 players and the starting XI have been picking themselves,” added Goodall.
“That’s not the case this time, after such a shocking performance. Myself and Lee Shaw (assistant manager) will have to sit down and talk about it.
“We were massively disappointed because it was fantastic to see so many people around the ground and that’s what we want week-in-week-out. But it was a shocking performance. None of us were at the races - and I include myself and Lee in that.”
Drayton entertain Friar Lane & Epworth, with manager Simon Line keen for his side to really find their feet at home.
The north Shropshire outfit have had no trouble on the road, as the Boxing Day bonanza at Shifnal proved.
But they have found the going harder at their Greenfields base, losing three of the 10 they have played.
That has hampered their title challenge somewhat, though they remain well-placed in third at present - and with games in hand.
“Our home form hasn’t been great, but if we show the same focus and determination as we did on Boxing Day then I’m sure we’ll do well,” said Line.
Tom Ward, Tim Allen, Olly Kesterton and Duncan Horler are all unavailable.
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