Bootle manager David McNabb says performances need to be “sorted out quickly” following their defeat to Widnes.
It was another dismal away showing from the Bucks as they struggled to land a glove on Michael Ellison’s side in a 2-0 defeat.
They got their Northern Premier League West campaign off to a winning start after edging past Newcastle Town 2-1.
However, their standards slipped once more as McNabb was left frustrated for the second time already this summer.
The former Warrington Rylands and Macclesfield boss was previously left disappointed after being dumped out of the FA Cup by lower-league opposition.
After managing to bounce back against Town, they have been forced to pick themselves up again with McNabb claiming that there’s “lots of work to do”, following their performance at the DCBL Stadium.
“In possession, we wasn’t brilliant against Newcastle Town, we did have some good spells but off the ball we were fantastic, we pressed, won the ball back, broke things up, had fight and desire,” he told Off The Park. “We were just completely lacking it against Widnes, really poor performance, there’s lots of work to do.
“We’ve got to change. You have to have the right application and desire, it’s not a button you can turn on or off, we’ve got to work through it, we’re in it together, it’s not been brilliant and we need to be better. We need to keep working at it.”
There is no game this weekend for Bootle, following their FA Cup elimination. Their attention quickly turns to Witton Albion on Tuesday as they look for another win at Vesty Road.
McNabb added: “It is early days, it doesn’t mean we’ve got time to get it right but it’s not that we’re not playing free-flowing football, it’s going to take time to understand patterns of play and how we build the game.
“But it is work-rate, commitment, desire, winning second balls, that shouldn’t take time. It should be a given, we need to sort it out quickly.
“I think the lads are under no illusions of the standards that are being set, it is expected that they not only meet their own personal standards but drive each other as well. It wasn’t the case on Wednesday and they’re fully aware of that.”
