Burscough can match the best says Derek Goulding

Nov 8 2012 by Neil Jones, Ormskirk Advertiser

DEREK GOULDING believes his Burscough side are not too far off the Evo-Stik First Division North’s top teams, but says they still need to add a touch of consistency to their performances.

The Linnets produced a battling display at Mossley on Saturday, eventually going down 3-1 to the league leaders. It is a result which leaves Goulding’s men ensconced in mid-table, 12th after 13 games.

The manager, though, says he has no doubt his side can bridge the gap in quality to the leading sides, but admits they must gather some momentum over the coming weeks.

“There definitely isn’t a lot between ourselves and the likes of Mossley,” Goulding said.

“Obviously they are on a roll at the moment, and momentum counts for a lot in a league like this.

“I thought for more than an hour, we were right in the game and could easily have been ahead.

“Will Jones had a chance at 1-1 and if that goes in we might have held on for a win or another draw.

“But as I keep saying, winning is a habit you have to pick up.

“We haven’t picked that up yet, and I think that showed in the second half as we tired and they took control of the game.

“We need to pick up some momentum, because we know that if we can get a run of wins under our belt, it can carry us through tight games because we will know how to close games out.”

Having seen their Lancashire FA Trophy tie at Rochdale Town called off due to a waterlogged pitch on Tuesday, Burscough face a home clash against Ossett Albion this Saturday, and Goulding says they will be out for revenge against the Yorkshiremen.

“We should have beaten them at their place back in October” he said. “We were leading and in control, but they equalised off a set piece in the 84th minute, so we ended up with yet another draw.

“It was the same at Ossett Town, we led 2-0 with six minutes to go and ended up drawing. These kind of results put a completely different spin on the season, they are dropped points for us, so we want to set the record straight on Saturday.”

Goulding is still sweating on the fitness of captain Chris Tyson, who has been sidelined with a hamstring problem of late. The 30-year-old will be assessed in training later this week, as will defender Paul Williams, who has also been carrying an injury.

Liam Caddick and Niall Cummins should both feature, though Dave Roberts is definitely ruled out.