MANAGER Paul Smith has spoken of his frustration at seeing his Bromsgrove Sporting side narrowly miss out on promotion.
A run of nine straight victories had given the Rouslers a chance of snatching the Midland Football League Division One title from Highgate United’s grasp.
But the Shirley side held their nerve and clinched a place in the Premier Division next season with an emphatic 4-0 victory at Coventry Copsewood on Tuesday night.
It means Bromsgrove, who have still got one more league game to play, will finish runners up for the second successive year and Smith told The Standard it was tough to take.
“It is frustrating as I set myself a goal when I took over at the back of August to win the league,” Smith said.
“It was always a long shot as we have been playing catch up for a while and unfortunately we were unable to peg them back.
“We have been on a club record-breaking run of nine straight wins, but Highgate have pretty much matched it.
“We gave it a great shot and if someone had said to me when I took over the club would have only lost a few games and finished runners up and be in a cup final I would have taken that.
“But, that said, the boys are bitterly disappointed.”
Before Smith’s arrival, Bromsgrove started the season with two defeats in their first four games and the Rouslers manager believes that spell along with a poor run of results at the beginning of the year cost them the title.
Although admitting tomorrow’s end of season clash against Nuneaton Griff at the Victoria Ground was a ‘dead rubber’, Smith has urged his players to secure a place in his side to face Southam United in the Les James Challenge Cup final on Wednesday.
“I have got 20 to choose from for Saturday and likewise for the cup final, so it is vitally important the players put in a strong enough performance to get into my thinking to play at the Bescot,” he said.
“Sporting have won one cup so far, which was the Smedley Crooke Cup, but this is a bigger competition, so if we win on Wednesday it will be the biggest achievement in the club’s history.”
