Midfielders Gareth Jones (right) and Graeme McGill have vowed that they will stay and fight for their places in the heart of the Guilsfield team.
The pair are the club’s longest serving players, having formed a formidable engine room during Guilsfield’s climb to becoming an established Huws Gray Alliance side.
But injury to Jones and a combination of injury and unavailability for club captain McGill are likely to see them sitting side by side in the Guilsfield dug-out at home to Flint tomorrow. However, there is no talk of leaving despite a number of clubs believed to be monitoring their situation.
“The squad is a large one and highly competitive so I'm going to have to work even harder to cement my position in the starting 11 again,” said Jones, who has spent five weeks out. “I have no plans to move if I can't get back into the team; I'm Guilsfield through and through and I enjoy playing in the side in what can only be described as exciting times at the club after last season and with the on-going development of the ground and facilities.
“The team has been great; when you have a record of just three losses in 24 matches it says something about the squad we have. It's frustrating at times watching from the side but with the players, team spirit and winning mentality at the club I believe we can be successful in the league and cup competitions this season.”
McGill suffered an early season rib injury and was then unavailable due to a charity walk along Offa’s Dyke in aid of Help For Heroes which he completed last week.
“I am hoping to be in the squad this weekend,” he said. “The team has been playing well so it won’t be easy to get back in and I will probably have to be patient.”
Both players were linked to other clubs in the summer with McGill pursued by Dyffryn Banw and Jones believed to have been on Technogroup Welshpool’s radar.
But their determination to win back their starting places will be music to the ears of manager Mike Barton who only last week admitted that his hardest job was keeping everyone happy within his 18-man squad.