EVERYONE at Worcester City is raring to go against Harrogate Town on Saturday following last weekend’s gap in the diary.

It’s incredibly frustrating when you have not got a game, especially when you are looking to back up a win from the previous week.

You find yourself at a loose end and, during mid-morning when you would normally be preparing for a game, you come to realise just how much of a part football plays in your life.

It’s similar to when a season finishes.

For a couple of weeks it’s nice to have a break but then you are itching to get back into it again.

Last weekend, though, we specifically told the players to go and spend quality time with their families and they will have benefitted from that.

They came back to training on Monday and were hungry and sharp, which bodes well for Saturday.

We haven’t played at home for a while but have won three league games on the spin and are still in a decent position in the league table.

Harrogate, however, have spent their money wisely and brought in proven goalscorers, like Paul Brayson from Blyth Spartans, so it’s going to be tough because they have had a decent start as well.

Unfortunately, we will be without midfielder Kevin O’Connor as he serves a one-match ban for five yellow cards.

Kevin hasn’t missed many games for us and, of all the players I have ever played with or managed, I can’t think of another who approaches everything in exactly the same way.

There’s a saying that you train the way you play.

In reality, a large number of players don’t do that but Kevin does and his application is unbelievable.

If you see him training, he is exactly the same as he is in a game.

He’s a crucial player for us, the centre of everything we do, and without question we will miss him.

But it’s only for one game and we have options like Tom Thorley and Rob Elvins — it’s then you see the benefit of having a strong squad.

Kevin has picked up bookings but I can’t remember him making a bad tackle.

I think we have to accept the game has changed a lot in the last 10 to 15 years and any mistimed tackle results in a caution.

As a result, players can reach five quickly and I think the authorities have recognised how the game is refereed these days.

When I played, if you got five yellow cards before February it would be a three-game ban but it was more difficult to pick them up then.

You could mistime a tackle and usually get away with a few.

If you wanted to make your mark on an opponent, you would do it early on as it was unlikely you would get booked for it.

Now it’s a yellow card 99 per cent of the time if you mistime a tackle so players will be suspended for matches but it’s part and parcel of the modern game.