Northern League: Malia won't put pressure on in-form Jarrow

Jarrow manager Kennie Malia has insisted he will not put any pressure on his players as they look to push for a historic promotion into the Northern League’s top tier.

The Perth Green outfit suffered Division Two play-off final heartache in each of the last two seasons after coming out on the wrong end of penalty shoot-out lotteries against Thornaby and Yarm and Eaglescliffe. However, that has only strengthened Malia’s determination to lead Jarrow into the fifth tier of the non-league game for the first time in their history - and his side have responded well with a strong start to the season.

Last weekend’s 3-1 win at Sunderland RCA means Jarrow are now unbeaten in 13 league games and are within striking distance of neighbours Boldon CA and leaders Billingham Town. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s home game with a Stokesley SC side that Malia admitted are ‘a bit of an unknown quantity’ the Jarrow boss stressed his determination to keep any pressure ‘under wraps’.

He told The Gazette: “Stokesley are a bit of an unknown quantity, we don’t know much about them but we will absolutely do our home work on them and we will not take them lightly. It can go the wrong way if you show the mindset that suggests you believe it’s an easy game and we have to set standards from minute one.

“For us, pressure is something keep it under wraps. It’s one game at a time and we won’t put the lads under pressure. Maybe we have in the last two season and maybe we have shot ourselves in the foot - but what we are doing is working now.”

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