LOSING your leading goalscorer mid-season is an undoubted blow to any team, especially one in the middle of a promotion battle.
However, manager Michael Clegg believes Adama Sidibeh’s move to St Johnstone could end up having a galvanising effect on those he has left behind.
Having netted 16 goals in all competitions for Blues this season, the 25-year-old frontman has been attracting interest from further up the pyramid and eventually, a deal was agreed for him to join the Scottish Premiership side.
Clegg says the move north of the border was a richly deserved one for the Gambian striker but now, he wants to see the players that remain step up to the mantle.
He admits the speculation surrounding Sidibeh had been a distraction but ahead of Saturday’s clash with Bradford Park Avenue, he believes the conclusion of the deal has relaxed everybody.
“It’s a blow – there’s absolutely no two ways about it,” he said.
“But with how the group is, last night was probably the best training session of the season.
“It’s almost as if a weight has been lifted off everyone’s shoulders. The inevitable has happened and we all need to muck in now.
“As good as Adama was, I think we were a little one-dimensional when he was playing – we were looking for that through ball all the time rather than waiting for the extra pass.
“From it, we’ll have to find a different way but hopefully it will be similar to how we were in the first 8-10 games when Adama didn’t feature too much.
“While we may have lost Adama and have wobbled a bit with a few draws, our changing room is still bouncing. There’s no issues in there, there’s healthy competition and we’re all together.
“We’re all absolutely delighted for Adama as he’s been mega.
“To come from where he’s come from, it means even more to us to see him go on and do that and he deserves it.”
Given Sidibeh was under contract at Gorsey Lane until the end of the season, Rylands have received an undisclosed transfer fee for his services.
Clegg confirmed he has been told at least some of that fee can be reinvested in strengthening his squad, but he says splashing the cash on lavish signings is not his style.
“I reassured the players that for us to go forward as a group, I need to stick to the process which is getting lads in who want to play for Warrington Rylands,” he said.
“Getting lads in who just want to earn a load of cash for 13 games is not the way I want to go – it doesn’t work for me or for the club.
“We’re looking at maybe getting someone from below us and building them up – they might not have an instant impact and it might be a slow burner but for us, it will be business as usual.
“I think my strength is recruitment and I have to live up to my name now.
“The chairman has told me we can spend a bit of the money we’ve received for Adama if we want, so I’ve been given every option I need.
“Anything that happens from here on in will all be on me.”
Having lost only once in their last 13 games and just three times in the league all season, Rylands are an extremely tough nut to crack.
However, their problem of late has been too many draws – they have shared the spoils in five of their past seven games and surrendered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Basford United last time out.
Only Bamber Bridge can match their 11 league draws this season and such form has not only allowed leaders Radcliffe to pull away, but those below have now caught them up.
Indeed, Marine’s midweek win at FC United of Manchester allowed them to leapfrog Blues into second place, knocking Rylands out of the runners-up spot for the first time since late-September.
Hyde United are also just two points behind while Worksop Town, Macclesfield and Guiseley will all hope to use games in hand to put pressure on Clegg’s side.
However, Rylands’ next six games are against sides in the lower reaches of the table including two games against bottom side Bradford Park Avenue, who visit Gorsey Lane tomorrow.
“Our aim this season was the play-offs, we’re still third with a game in hand so we’re on course,” Clegg said.
“We had a difficult run of fixtures then the Adama business hanging over our heads, and it has been a distraction but it’s done now.
“I know where we’re at as a group. We’ve got some very good players, but it’s our first year as a group and I knew we’d come to a point where this happened.
“We were absolutely brilliant on Saturday at a tough place to go. We should have been 4-0 up but we had an absolute horror show twice which hasn’t happened all season.
“I’m still a really proud manager and they’re still giving me what I want, but I feel like this can galvanise us and kick us on.
“Everybody around us plays each other now and we’ve got a really good run of fixtures.
“We’ve got some tough ones out of the way so for us, it’s about getting on a bit of a run and seeing where it takes us.”
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