Athersley Recreation have their rewards of league safety with games to spare following a set of improved performances, the decisive game at Glasshoughton being Owen's worst performance of the season according to the Rec keeper who is still focused on keeping the number one shirt.
[Photo credit - 2020 Vision]
Coinciding with an intentional effort for increased intensity, results at Sheerien Park as well as away from home have picked up
Personally, Owen has his practices to keep him at the top of his game, at times quickly overcoming setbacks, whether those methods are built from experience or reliant on superstition.
“Clarky’s said to us about working hard and the intensity at
which we play is key to success at this level,” Owen explained. “I absolutely
agree. I’ve been playing at this level for quite a while now and you always see
the most successful teams, those that play at a high tempo and have that bit of
quality always tend to be the ones at the top end of the table. He's also spoke
about making the game simpler; express yourself in the attacking third, don’t
take risks in your own third. From that point on, we’ve been a lot more
competitive. There’s still some naivety within us, including myself, on
decision making”.
Even at just twenty-four years old, Rec’s keeper has consistently
been one of the senior players representing Rec on the pitch.
“I think maturity plays a big part of it. I think it takes
everyone at least a season to figure out what football is like at this level. A
lot come through academies or a good level and think, for example, a midfielder
has to take on five people and play the perfect pass, when that’s not the case.
A pass into the channel or a good area is just as effective.
Being a goalkeeper, you’ve got to be thick skinned, you’ve
got to know you’re going to make mistakes and everyone’s going to turn around
and stare at you. It’s a fine balance between confidence and arrogance and
knowing that if you do make a mistake, next time, the same result won’t happen.
I look back to the game against Glasshoughton and it’s probably my worst performance
of the season. You have to be able to bounce back. The resilience is massive
for a player. What a lot of the younger lads, less experienced, are starting to
understand is that if any of us shout at you on a pitch, it’s not personal.
It’s a hard learning curve. It’s something I had to learn”.
Owen follows a strict schedule throughout matchday preperation to focus himself.
"Ninety-nine percent of the time, every Saturday I’ll have
the same routine. I aim to wake up around nine-thirty, straight in the shower,
pack my bag, get to the ground a little early, just after one, sit, chill out. Then
when it gets to the pre-match stuff, i’m a real creature of habit. I like to
put my left shin pad on first, my left boot on first, everything like that.
That’s something that’s stuck with me since I was about twelve.
It's all for three points, ultimately. Three points papers
over a lot of cracks. It might not be the best performance, or run you’re on
but after three points, everyone still looks at it in a different light. Then personal
performance comes second to that”.
Owen’s experience extends his age, built within the NCEL at several clubs prior to reaching Sheerien Park. Owen signed for The Penguins from Maltby Main with other representatives on his CV including Shirebrook Town, Retford FC and Ollerton Town.
“When I was at Shirebrook, I was in a changing room with Chris
Timmons who had played at a great level and must have been into his forties and
still playing. He taught me a lot about the game. I remember Cryuff-turning
someone on the edge of the box, four-nil up, and he nearly strung me up. The
mentality he brought to every game was different levels. His entire aim, whether
it was three points or one point, was no one’s going to be better than me on this
pitch. Even at his age, most of the time he was successful in that. I learnt a lot
from Sam Stretton at Ollerton. He went about things in a different way. He was
laid back but as soon as we got on the pitch, his intensity was sky-high and he’d
do anything for the team.
One hundred percent effort is the be all and end all. And it also helps, within a game, to be able
to identify, if we’re under the cosh, when to slow the game down or vice-versa - when to speed things up. That comes with experience.
Up until I was about ten I didn’t really say anything on a
pitch, I started watching the ‘keepers at Rotherham, I believe it was Andy Warrington
at the time and he was constantly talking. I thought why is he doing that and since
then I’ve incorporated that into my game. It keeps me focused. If i’m sort of kicking
every ball and making every clearance then my eyes are constantly on the ball”.
Winning one-on-one duels has been a
standout element of Owen’s game since his arrival but also something which he has prided himself on throughout his career.
“A lot of it is the positioning - that plays a big part. For
me, I’ve always been a small keeper and it’s always something people have spoke
about. It’s given me that mentality of you’re not going to beat me. I like in
one-on-ones you’re not the favourite as the ‘keeper. If you can be in the right
place, even just to push them wide or get anything on the ball, that’s crucial.
When the striker or midfielder starts their run I have half
a mind on ‘they’re coming through. Then you judge whether the ball is going to
make the distance or not. Sometimes it bites you in the face. There was a goal earlier
this season against Armthorpe where I’ve sat off for what looked like a one on
one, it’s deflected and I’m out of position and they’ve slotted it home.
The main thought is to be as big as possible. They’ve then
got to put it round you. And you get to know the strikers you’re playing
against. I could name some strikers right now who I know would try and take it
round me and then there’s others who will shoot early and try catch me off
guard”.
Rec lined up with a consistent backline for six consecutive fixtures starting at the visit of Wombwell Town and finishing at the trip to South Leeds. Towards the end of that run, Athersley secured their league safety with games to spare. On
what’s in front of him, personnel-wise and for the remainder of the season, Owen said the consistency supports his performances whilst he’s
already thinking about next year.
“It helps a lot. Each of those players brings something
different to the table. Ryder brings the aggression, similar with Aaran. In Chiz
you’ve got the speed to get on the cover, and if there’s an aerial ball into
the box, I’m confident either Ryder or Aaran will deal with it. Theo came in
Saturday and was brilliant and brings something different to the other three
lads.
It’s that mentality of we are still playing for our shirts for next season. Everyone knows no position is fully safe. You see it in this league, strikers who have scored five in five, don’t score for five matches and a new forward is brought in. You’ve got to keep performing week in week out. Everyone in our dressing room wants to do the best for the club and earn as many points as possible.
[The focus] is collecting as many points as possible. We’ve got four [speaking prior to the Harrogate fixture] games left and if we can pick up as many points as possible everyone in the club and in the dressing room are much happier".
The first of Rec's three remaining fixtures is to welcome Wakefield to Sheerien Park on Saturday 5th April in the NCEL Division One.
