Derek Goulding hails Burscough’s fighting spirit

Dec 6 2012 Skelmersdale Advertiser

DEREK GOULDING believes Burscough's fightback at Lancaster City on Tuesday night is merely “another box to tick” on his side's progress sheet this season.

The Linnets battled back from a 2-0 half-time deficit at The Giant Axe, with second-half strikes from Will Jones and Paul Williams earning them a deserved share of the spoils. They remain 12th in the Evo-Stik First Division North heading into this weekend's home clash with Farsley FC, though they have the scope to move up the table, with games in hand on many of the sides around them.

After the disappointment of relegation last season, Burscough have lost just four league games so far this season, and Goulding praised his side's character and attitude in carving out a result at Lancaster.

“It's another one to tick off really,” he said. “It's never easy to go up there, especially midweek and at this time of year. There's always problems with traffic and there are doubts over whether the game will be on.

“We didn't have the ideal preparation, and maybe that showed in our start. We gave possession away in bad areas and were punished clinically twice by them. But credit to us for the way we approached the second half.

“It's a good team-building exercise, to see how the lads respond to adversity. We responded well this time.”

He added: “Every time I look at the league table, it's at the 'losses' column I look first. After the experiences of last season, where we lost pretty much every week, the main thing I wanted to do this season was to make us tougher, harder to beat. I think we've done that.

“Maybe at the end of the season we might look at it and say 'if only we'd won a few of those drawn games', but it's about progression, and I think we are doing that because we are not losing games like we were last season. We'd certainly have lost that (Lancaster) game last season.”

Goulding will be without midfielder Phil Clarke for this weekend's game with Farsley – a side five places above them in the table. He has, however, the services of club captain Chris Tyson to call upon. Tyson has found himself benched in recent weeks due to the form of Clarke and David Lynch.

“It's great strength we've got now,” said Goulding. “Especially in that central midfield area.

“Tyson is still the captain and the leader of the group, who leads by example and is at the top of his game.

But it's nice to have 18 or 19 lads to choose from, because it makes it harder for me to pick my team.”