Chorley boss Matt Jansen salutes impact of versatile Josh Wilson

Goalscoring has been a problem for the Magpies this term but Wilson has popped up with the goods in their last two games,

Wilson scored the winner in the 1-0 win over Gainsborough Trinity and scored the Magpies’ only goal in the 1-1 draw with Nuneaton on Saturday.

After their crunch play-off clash with fellow promotion chasers Stockport County was wiped out by a frozen pitch on Thursday, Jansen praised the versatile Wilson’s impact since he joined from AFC Telford in the summer. He said: “Wilson has been brilliant.

“He’s played a holding m
idfield role, played midfield, No.10, up front and he has scored goals.

“From all of those positions, he is a clever player and he has been doing very well for us – all season he has been playing well.”

Wilson might be in top form but another of Chorley’s attackers, Alex Newby who signed from Clitheroe, would have been touch and go for Saturday’s clash.

The forward is yet to open his account for the club and picked up a suspected broken finger in the Nuneaton clash. Experienced central defender Stephen Jordan also picked up a hamstring tweak in that game and both would have missed the midweek LFA Challenge Trophy semi-final with Lancaster at Leyland’s County ground.

That game was postponed until March 28 due to snow and now the duo will be re-assessed.

But despite those two doubts Jansen is pleased with the competition for places.

He said: “Most probably they will be missing. Stephen’s hamstring has tightened in the second half.

“Alex Newby broke a finger. We have got competition for places and each player that comes in I’m asking them to do as equally a good job as the players that have been keeping them out.

“It is good we have got healthy competition for places and a decent-sized squad with quality. We will have to assess Alex and Stephen but other than that everyone is fit.”

The Magpies drew their 12th game of the season last weekend and they were due to face a Stockport side who fought back to hold them to a 1-1 draw Edgeley Park in November.

The Chorley boss is keen to turn those draws into wins as his eighth-placed National League North side bid to climb the table.

Jansen said: “We ended up drawing at Stockport – they scored with the last kick of the game to equalise and we battered them as well, which was another two points dropped.

“There is still plenty to play for. I’d rather be fighting for a play-off spot than looking over my shoulder worrying about the drop.

“It is a tough league this league are there is not a lot to chose between a whole host of clubs.”