The recent sequence began with a goalless draw away at Bradford Park Avenue, followed by a dramatic 2-2 draw at home to Dunston, a team Tracey described as: "One of the better football sides we have played."

“Dunston were a side who were in the playoffs last year. They are probably one of the better football sides we have played, well organised and strong,”

Tracey said. “I'll be honest we only had seven fit players for the game in our squad. We had four lads starting who were injured. We also had four lads on the bench who weren't fully fit either.”

Tracey reflected on the missed opportunity to take all three points in that match: “I was disappointed to draw due to the circumstances of us being 2-1 up against 10 men and to concede and draw 2-2. We were disappointed. In the big picture I was really proud of the lads to battle through, playing through injury and lads who haven't played a lot. To try and get us to a point where we could get something out of the game was pleasing.”

However, things worsened in the following fixture as Emley suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Cleethorpes Town. Tracey admitted disappointment with the performance, despite a promising start:
“Reflecting on the loss against Cleethorpes, I thought for 20 minutes we were really good value. We were on the front foot, we controlled the game. We hit the bar and then we made a mistake and conceded a goal. We compounded the result really with some poor goals and didn't particularly play well after that first 20 minutes. We were disappointed in the performances after that first period.”

The team bounced back with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away at Heaton Stannington, a result Tracey was particularly pleased with given the difficult conditions:
“We recovered really well going to Heaton Stannington. It's a tough place to go, but we got a really good result. We had to grind it out on a really difficult pitch. Eventually, we got a good 1-0 win.”

But a return to home turf saw another disappointment, with a 2-0 loss to Garforth, which Tracey deemed the worst performance of the season:
“We were really disappointed with the loss to Garforth. I thought it was our worst performance of the season and I thought our levels dropped. What I'd say is, even though I felt like without us playing well, we probably had the better chances and had two good goals chalked off, I think the best team won on the day though. They played well and we didn’t. We were sloppy, we were poor in possession, we didn’t work hard enough for each other. Even saying that, we still managed to work five or six good opportunities.”

Tracey acknowledged the strain injuries have placed on the squad, forcing him to make tactical adjustments:
He said: “In recent games, we heard some comments about why we were playing in a back three against Dunston. The simple answer was we just had to get the fittest players we've got on the pitch. I think anybody who's watched us all season would see that clearly we are not doing this by choice because that's not the system we've played at any point over the last two or three years. It was kind of forced on us to get the strongest 11 on the pitch out of what we had available.”

However, there is some optimism as the squad nears full fitness:
“The good news injury wise is that we've got nearly a full squad to pick from now which is great. We’re not going to complain but it's been an intense start to the season.”

Two significant player departures have also occurred during this period. Sam Pashley has joined Golcar, while James Walshaw has moved to Ossett. Tracey praised both players for their contributions:
He said: “Sam Pashley has left us and joined Golcar, and he goes with our very best wishes. Sam’s been a great addition to the club since he joined us four and a bit years ago. He’s been very much part of the two successes in terms of winning silverware that we’ve had. Also the promotions too. He’s been a real asset for us. A very versatile player who chipped in with goals and we wish him the very best of luck up at Golcar.”

On Walshaw, Tracey added: “James Walshaw has also left. I think he scored 40 plus goals in the two spells he’s had with us, which probably amounted to 50 games. So his goal-scoring record was phenomenal and he was very much a key part in getting us promoted last year.

“So we wish him well apart from when we play them and we'll continue to stay in touch.

“We've known each other for a long time. Me and Wally played up front together when we played together at Ossett Town when he was 17 years old. So we go back a long way. So that relationship will continue to be positive.”

Despite recent setbacks, Tracey remains optimistic and committed to improving Emley’s home form, which has been inconsistent compared to their strong away performances:
“There is no getting away from the fact the Cleethorpes and Garforth games were disappointing. We wanted to make our ground a bit of a difficult place for teams to come. At the moment, it’s a bit of an attractive place for them to come because we’ve not put on the performances like we have done when we’re away from home. Our away record is exemplary but our home record has to be better, and we’re working on that.”

Looking to the weekend clash against Sheffield, Tracey expects a tough challenge, especially with Sheffield under new management: “Playing at Sheffield this weekend they’ve just brought in a new manager. That may get a reaction and although they’re struggling down the bottom end of the table, all the reports that we’ve got say they are actually a better side than where they are in the table. We’re in a position where we need to improve what we’ve been doing over the last couple of games. It’s certainly not what we’ve wanted, and we are going to face these challenges head on and hopefully come out of it with three points.”

Tracey remains confident in his players and their ability to rise to the occasion:
He said: “We’ve had a really difficult start to the year in terms of fitness and injuries and that sort of stuff, but we’re certainly not a million miles off now being where we should be. That’s certainly not an excuse for the last couple of games, but hopefully, we can regroup on Saturday and get three points on the board and build on that like we have done many times before.”

With hard work and determination, Tracey and his team aim to turn their fortunes around and maintain their position near the top of the table.