Wade experience key for Buchanan

Spartans skipper Wayne Buchanan revealed that he feels new manager Tom Wade's experience will help his side improve throughout the rest of the season. The former Gateshead and Harrogate manager was announced as Paddy Atkinson's successor on Tuesday morning and will take charge of his first game when Ilkeston travel to Croft Park on Saturday and Buchanan wants to see his side benefit from Wade's time spent as a manager at many different levels of the non league pyramid.

He said "Tom is an experienced manager and everyone here is looking forward to working for him. Obviously he was Paddy's assistant but now it's down to him to carry on the hard work Paddy did. It's now Tom in charge and it's his decisions and his ideas that will take us forward. We need his experience at this level and higher and he knows what needs to be done in key situations on the pitch whether it's a change of personnel or tactics. He will be very important for us over the next two months".

Speaking after training on Tuesday night Buchanan revealed that the mood amongst the players was positive and that they are keen to build on the impressive 3-1 win at Kendal Town last Tuesday night. Spartans face two home games in four days with the return fixture with the Mintcakes hot on the heels of the Ilkeston game. "The mood in the camp is very good after the win against Kendal and that obviously came on the back of a terrible defeat against Fylde. Everyone went home after that game and looked at themselves and it was a low point for us all. It was great to bounce back and we need to build on what we achieved at Kendal"

Despite it being mid March this will be the first time Spartans have faced Ilkeston this season. The Robins sit four places and six points above sixteenth placed Spartans and Buchanan is relishing the task of facing new opposition as former Northern Ireland international striker Kevin Wilson brings his side to Croft Park.

He said "Obviously we haven't played them yet this year so we don't know a lot about them but looking at teams we have faced so far the majority have been strong, well organised and it will no doubt be a battle. We have to go into the game being positive with our supporters right behind us as they always are and take the game to them. Obviously we have to be organised and disciplined but we will always create things and score goals so hopefully that'll help us get the result everyone at the club wants."