NELSON boss Paul Paynter has dedicated tomorrow’s NWC First Division clash against Cheadle Town to the memory of Jason Powrie.
NELSON boss Paul Paynter has dedicated tomorrow’s NWC First Division clash against Cheadle Town to the memory of Jason Powrie.
The Blues forward (pictured, left) was found hanged at his Penwortham home on Christmas Eve and the club, along with family members, will hold a tribute for the 19-year-old prior to the 2 p.m. kick-off at Lomeshaye Way’s Little Wembley.
“We will hold a tribute for Jason in his memory after his sad passing,” Paynter said. “There is a real togetherness in the camp but everyone is at a loss because of the character that the young lad possessed. We want to show Jason some respect in terms of our performance and the result.
“We most definitely want to win for him. We’re hoping that a few family members will come down so that we can present them with a bouquet of flowers, then we will hold a minutes silence. I expect a reaction from the players in the game. I know they will all pull together.”
The Blues defeated tomorrow’s opponents 3-2 at the Park Road Stadium way back in mid-November; astonishingly the last league fixture they played. And Paynter is confident of repeating that feat, although he expects a tough challenge.
“We beat Cheadle 3-2 away earlier in the season. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience because they are a physical and aggressive side. They seemed to have picked up lately and have registered some good results both home and away. I’m confident we can look at three points though. We have nothing to fear from the performance at their place. I expect us to start climbing that table now.”
Paynter added: “We’ve had a bit of a break so I’ve had a chance to re-evaluate things in a bid to move the club forward. We’ve met up a few times and had a few training sessions which has kept us ticking over and kept us together but it’s far from ideal.
“It’s disappointing for us on the back of our recent form. The previous three games had been our best record to date. We had picked up a bit of momentum and a bit of confidence from that but we haven’t been able to capitalise on it.”
Nelson did get 75 minutes of their First Division Trophy second round match against Formby played, though the tie was eventually abandoned due to floodlight failure. A bizarre encounter saw Nelson surrender a two goal lead before boss Paynter, who was forced to start due to a player shortage, was dismissed for a second bookable offence. The club is awaiting confirmation on the result, though it is expected that the 3-2 defeat will stand.
“The game was abandoned after close to 80 minutes,” said Paynter. “It was nice to get back in to it though because as a footballer you’re obviously used to playing and when there’s been a break you’re itching to get back on to the pitch.
“We played against a decent, young side who played nice football. We did very well. We were under the cosh a bit but stood up to the threat and scored a breakaway goal through Ralph Walsh. Then in the second half we went 2-0 up from another counter attack.”
He added: “But we took our foot off the gas a bit and Formby upped their game. They scored a 20-yard strike from nothing and then there was a controversial period in the game that changed everything.
“Tackles flew in, words got said, there were a few questionable decisions made and I was dismissed for two yellow cards in two minutes. I’m disappointed on that front because I’m big on discipline. I’m supposed to lead by example. But that said, the decision was harsh. Then we eventually went 3-2 down and the floodlights failed.”
Anybody wishing to pay their respects to Jason Powrie are more than welcome to attend tomorrow’s early kick-off at Little Wembley.