Saints told to win final for Josh!

Dawkins - who suffered a double fracture of his leg in St Ives Town’s 2-0 defeat at champions Chippenham in last weekend's final game of the season - will be at the ProEdge Westwood Road to cheer on his teammates against Hayes & Yeading United in the EVO-STIK League Southern's showpiece final.

Ricky Marheineke told his players to "win it for Josh" in the build-up to the big game this week after the Saints launched an online crowd-funding campaign to help the self-employed player pay his bills while he recovers from surgery.

More than £1,400 has already been raised towards their £2,000 target and the Saints boss said: "Josh should be playing in the final, it’s really disappointing that he won’t be able to. He’s been a massive part of our success and we’ll be trying to win it for him.”

Marheineke was expecting a tough but entertaining encounter and reckons lifting the cup would also be the perfect reward for his players after their efforts this season secured the club's top flight status in the EVO-STIK League Southern.

With Hayes & Yeading relegated, he was also well aware that they'd want to give their fans something to cheer about too. “It’s been a really good season on the whole,” he added.

“It’s a great achievement by everyone to reach the points tally we did and secure our safety for next season. Winning the cup final and finishing things off with some silverware would be the icing on the cake.

“Hayes & Yeading have had a difficult season but they have some good players. They just haven’t scored enough goals to keep them in the division. The manager has said he’s staying so their players will be playing for their places for next season, and it’s an opportunity for them to finish on a high."

Image courtesy of @CamUTDNews/Twitter

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