FIRST-YEAR Merrivale coach Jason Rowan is urging his charges to bounce back from the doldrums of two successive defeats in an effort to re-rail their campaign.
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Rowan labelled Saturday’s clash with South Rovers as “must-win” and declared it vital for the Tigers to remain on the tail of the top three leading into June.
Plagued with injuries to key players, Merrivale’s chances will be bolstered by the return of big man Rhys Raymond while star midfielder Alister Porter is out indefinitely with a knee complaint.
“(South Rovers) have had a great start and we’re very mindful of them,” Rowan said. “For us, we’ve had a big emphasis on winning the game. We need to win this one to come away with the four points.
“We need to win to keep our top three ambitions from getting away from us a bit and we’ve made that clear at training this week.
“If we don’t come out, play our game and win, we’ll be right back in the pack trying to make finals.
“The boys understand how big this game is.”
The Hampden league premiership player tipped Rovers to bring a fast, energetic approach to the clash.
“They’re a young side who are on the improve and I think if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile,” Rowan said.
South Rovers will be without crafty forward Max Croft for the fixture, while experienced midfielder Dominic Bushell is also set to miss.
Tom Hopkins and defender Chris Moutray have been named to play.
