CHARLIE Flaherty believes regaining his fitness and enjoying his football again were the catalyst to the rich vein of form he has found at Eccleshill United.

Club captain Flaherty has put in a run of scintillating performances and it is no coincidence that the Eagles' results have picked up at the same time.

After two home wins, the skipper missed the games at Dronfield Town and Clipstone with a dead leg and Eccleshill lost both games.

But Flaherty came back with a bang as he bagged the two goals that beat Yorkshire Amateur last weekend and notched another brace in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Rossington Main.

He said: "I think it's because I got back to good fitness levels and I'm enjoying my game. I'm playing in my preferred position as well, which is a lot further forward than the last manager had me playing.

"Under Mark Tinker I played a lot of games as a defensive midfielder. I can play there and did sometimes last season when Lee Duxbury changed the system during games.

"But I'm more attack-minded and I think that I can contribute more to the team from that position."

Flaherty can and has played in all four midfield places in a 4-4-2 system, all six of the forward places in a 4-3-3 and as the support man behind a single striker, the 'number ten' role.

Whatever position current Eccleshill head coach Gerard Jones has picked him in recently has certainly worked for both player and club.

Flaherty has not only scored all four of the club's goals in back-to-back victories but he has also landed four man-of-the-match awards in his last five appearances.

The man himself is just happy to be playing again, back at the club he loves after a brief spell with neighbours Albion Sports.

Flaherty said: "I'm back here at Eccy after a spell at Albion that didn't really work out for me for one reason or another.

"I'm at a great club and I'm doing what I enjoy – playing and scoring – and I think that's what it's all about. It should be like that for any footballer."