Appleby urges Wisbech Town fans to trust him and says he is unfazed by criticism

WISBECH Town boss Steve Appleby has called on his troops to put a turbulent fortnight behind them and embark on a mammoth league unbeaten run.

Appleby stunned some Fenmen fans last week by releasing Rogan McGeorge, Deakan Napier and top scorer Dubi Ogbonna - who this week signed for St Neots Town.

A much-changed Wisbech were then stung by a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Haverhill Rovers on Saturday as goals from Adam Millson and Neal Spafford were not enough to deliver three points.

But newly-signed striker Joe Jackson provided the breath of fresh air in a 2-1 victory over Ely City on Tuesday night. The 21-year-old bagged an 86th-minute winner after Matt Lunn’s first-half opener had been cancelled out by a Paul Cousins own goal.

Appleby said: “At any other time you would probably think that a 1-1 draw at Ely isn’t a bad result, but after Saturday’s game we couldn’t allow that to happen. We had to push on.

“Hopefully that goal, and that win, will give everybody a lift. We want this to be the start of a good run in the league.

“Anybody in that top six can win it and it will be whoever performs best for the rest of the season.”

Appleby praised the performance of his new striker and said he hoped the Fenmen fans would continue to trust his decisions.

“Football is a fickle game and people are entitled to their opinions,” he said.

“We’ve got a bit of criticism and we have to put up with that. I won’t let it sway me, I’ll just keep my head down and get on with my job.”

Spafford, one of Wisbech’s most consistent performers this season, suffered a knee injury in Tuesday’s game and is facing up to three weeks on the sidelines.

He will miss tomorrow’s clash with Norwich United at the Elgood’s Fenland Stadium but striker Chris Bacon will return from suspension.

Wisbech sit sixth in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division, with games in hand on their promotion rivals.