Roberto Bonaminio has been one of the leading lights for Clitheroe this season, having featured in the centre of midfield and the heart of defence, the fans at Shawbridge have been impressed by Roberto’s calm and calculated style of play.

Being in the starting eleven last Tuesday for the game, Bonaminio will be walking out at the Macron Stadium in thirteen days’ time, knowing the back four will need to stand firm against opponents Chorley if the team is to have any chance of winning the Challenge Trophy final.

The former Bamber Bridge man however is looking no further than Saturday and believes it is crucial for the side to build momentum in their up and coming games before the big final on the 16th March;

“We don't want our season to be defined by one game. There is still a lot we want to achieve in the league. Finishing in the top ten isn't out of reach yet and that is our goal.”

“We want to be heading into that final on a good run of form. We have a tough run of fixtures coming up, so we will need to be at our best in order to compete against the sides above us, as we have done many times this season. The performances are more important than the results in my opinion.”

The 22 year old was a member of the side back in November that took a point of Darlington 1883 in the North-East, a feat that has only been repeated by three other sides this season.

Bonaminio is under no illusions that the Quakers will present a huge test for the Blues, however he believes there is no reason why his side can’t match the promotion chasers and send them back to Darlington without a victory come 5pm on Saturday;

Darlington are obviously a very strong side. We will have to step up our games again in order to compete and take something from the game. Lynchy is still out through suspension so that will obviously be a big miss, but I thought Ross and Ryan looked solid against Kendal and worked well together.”

“Our performance at their place earlier in the season showed exactly what we're capable of and we'll need another big effort to replicate that performance. But we've grown a lot since then and we are more confident and have learnt a lot in that time, so we will definitely be looking to come away with something and then take that into Tuesday night at Warrington.”

Having been sent-off against New Mills back in January, Bonaminio has had a slow start to the New Year. Back fit and firing now though, the versatile player is looking to add consistency to his game and help his team do as well as they can this year;

“Personally I've been very inconsistent since returning from suspension. Kendal at home was my worst game of the season and the semi-final at Leyland was probably my best, and I was lucky that Laquan was cup tied or I wouldn't have deserved my chance. I need to be more responsible at the back along with the lads beside me.”

“I think consistently high performances from the lads will please the manager more than results over the next few games. Everyone will be fighting for a starting place at the Macron, so over the next few weeks I think we can expect to see some great performances from the boys and the team collectively.”