Northern League: Malia demands Jarrow reaction after AFC Newbiggin draw
There is a challenging weekend lying in wait for Northern League Division Two rivals Jarrow and Boldon CA.
Jarrow manager Kennie Maila has challenged his players to produce a ‘huge reaction’ to their midweek draw against AFC Newbiggin when they host Sunderland RCA on Saturday.
Malia’s men were handed the perfect start when Lutfur Karim fired them in front with just 10 minutes on the clock but an equaliser Newbiggin striker Michael Johnstone ensured the points were shared. A quickfire reunion with RCA is next on the agenda for Jarrow as they face Mark Forrest’s side for the second time in two weeks after claiming a 5-0 win in an Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup tie last month. Malia has insisted his players can’t afford to pay any attention to that win and ensure they are ‘up for the game’ as they look to secure all three points to boost their promotion push.
He told The Gazette: “We need a huge reaction on Saturday after a very poor game and result on Wednesday night because that was a game where we feel we should have taken three points. We know this will be a tough game despite the 5-0 cup win against RCA last week because they won’t want that happening again and that means we absolutely have to be up for the game.”
Meanwhile, Boldon CA will look to claim a first win in five games when they host Newcastle University at The Villa. Four straight defeats have left Boldon sitting six points and two places above the relegation zone - but they will hope to kickstart an improvement in the third of five consecutive home games in all competitions.