Mick McGraa was pleased with Bootle’s response against Hanley Town as he outlined their hopes ahead of a hectic period.
The Bucks were humbled by Northern Premier League West strugglers Hednesford Town but bounced back to see off Hanley Town.
Tom Peterson and a debut goal for Moses Yoak fired the Bucks closer to the playoffs with two points separating them and the top six.
“The response has been good, it was a shock I didn’t think we would perform as we did against Hednesford but the way we performed against Hanley was really good,” he told Off The Park.
“The performance, we made key signings that made us better but we didn’t much different, we had more energy and switched it around a bit but we were quite lightweight against Hednesford – they were physical and we didn’t match it.
“We knew Hanley would be the same so we went physical, had that bit of quality going forward.
“The pitch was heavy, conditions wasn’t great and we managed it well. We got our better players who can hurt people high up the ball, 2-0 flattered them, it could’ve been more but happy with the win.”
December and the winter period have the chance to ignite or derail promotion hopes. Bootle face a stern Christmas period with the likes of Kidsgrove Athletic, Clitheroe, Widnes and City of Liverpool to play.
McGraa feels like the month won’t define their season but outlined hopes that they can keep with the pace at the top.
The former Vauxhall Motors boss added: “December going into January is always tough, it’s demanding on the players and we’ve got some really big games. I don’t think it will define us but if you can win more than you lose, you’ll be in and around the playoffs which is the aim.”
For enquiries: info@off-the-park.co.uk/ @OffThePark_
