Burscough FC boss Derek Goulding admits his team is a work in progress

Sep 6 2012 by Neil Jones, Ormskirk Advertiser

DEREK GOULDING admits his Burscough side are a “work in progress” as they look to find their feet in the Evo-Stik League’s First Division North.

The Linnets suffered their first defeat of the season with a 3-2 reverse at Clitheroe on Saturday, going down to an 88th minute strike from Marcus Calvert despite having taken the lead twice at Shawbridge.

It means they have started with a win, a draw and a defeat from three games, while they have also drawn with Padiham in the FA Cup preliminary round. Victory in the replay at Victoria Park last night would set up a home clash with Witton Albion on Saturday.

Goulding has made numerous personnel changes since relegation from the Evo-Stik League Premier Division last season, and the Greens boss admits they are still searching for some continuity at the club.

“We are still working on that consistency and that winning mentality,” he said.

“I have brought lots of players in, and some have left since the end of last season, so there is a lot of work to be done to bed everybody in. We are still a work in progress.

“We have the core of a side now, and our squad is quite healthy in terms of numbers, but it is about getting results consistently. Our performances have been OK, though we could have done better at Clitheroe I felt, it is just about finding a consistent way of turning draws into wins.

“We are only three games into the season, so it is hard to draw conclusions about where we are or aren’t at. We know the areas we want to improve upon, but we are also doing a lot of things well.”

Injuries haven’t helped Burscough’s cause. Liam Caddick, Nial Cummins and Darren Brookfield have all missed games, while Paul Williams and Jamil Adams are also nursing knocks.

“We didn’t play to our potential at Clitheroe,” said Goulding. “But we were still in with a shout of winning the game until very late, then got hit with a sucker punch.

“That suggests to me that we are a competitive side.”