“IT couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Huntingdon Town manager Ricky Marheineke after he was named the United Counties League’s Division One manager of the month for January last Friday.

Indeed, the team played five games during the month, winning four of them and drawing the other. Currently sitting second in the UCL Division One table, Huntingdon actually went top before being deposed by Harborough Town following the first of their two big derby games against Eynesbury Rovers, which ended 2-2.

Twelve goals scored, five goals conceded: those figures are an indication of the form the team is in – and the league was good enough to also honour Huntingdon’s top scorer Declan Rogers, naming him the division’s player of the month after the utility man hit seven of those 12 goals without drawing a blank in any game. “It’s all very well being manager of the month,” said Marheineke, “but you can’t do what we have done with rubbish players. There is a great squad here and the players carry out my instructions on the pitch.

He added about Rogers’ award: “I didn’t even know they did a player of the month, but Declan’s been one of our best players this season.

“He deserves the recognition.”