Prescot Cables manager Kevin Lynch is hoping for a reaction against Skelmersdale United following their defeat against Bootle.
Jack Goodwin got Cables off to the perfect with his goal inside two minutes but Steve McNulty’s fought back on the stroke of half-time before the Bucks powered to a 3-1 win.
The defeat means they’re seven points off the playoffs but not entirely safe from the drop with Monday’s opponents, just four points behind after allowing some breathing space between themselves and the bottom four following their win over Widnes,
Lynch admitted that he is looking for a reaction from Cables as they begin the calendar year at home. He told Off The Park: “You’re always, after every defeat, looking for a reaction from the lads, the lads were disappointed at the end.
“They knew it wasn’t good enough in the second-half and it’s down to them to put it right. We’re at home, it’s a difficult place to come, we’re looking forward to being home, hopefully there’s no driving gale force winds that spoil a good game.
“They have good players, we know about them but form guide goes out the window when it’s derbies, it’s on the day and you’ve got to want it more than them. Hopefully the lads are hurting from the Bootle defeat and looking to put it right, we’re looking forward to the game.”
Last time in the league a late winner secured the points for Skem in late August. However the side has since changed after Paul McNally departed and was replaced by Richard Brodie with wholesale changes across the squad.
“It’s down to local bragging rights at the end of the day, they’ve more or less changed their whole team so we’re looking from when we last played them and focusing on them putting our disappointment against Bootle to do something against Skem,” he said. “It won’t be easy, they come on the back of a good win, they’ll be raring to go, we’ve got to apply ourselves as best as we can and handle the conditions better than we did [vs Bootle].
“Very disappointed but I just felt the conditions didn’t suit us,” Lynch said on their defeat to Bootle.
“If I’m honest, I thought Bootle handled the conditions better, going a goal up they were there for the taking but we just took our foot off it and then second-half we just couldn’t get to grips with the conditions. Bootle handled it so fair play to them, they deserved it, we’ve just got to dust ourselves down and go again.
“I just felt we didn’t get going in the second-half, first-half I thought we were the better team, they had one shot on goal and scored which was a mistake from us, we just didn’t come out in the second-half.
“I told the lads that, fair play to Bootle, they did handle the conditions better than us, give credit where credit is due, take it on the chin and move.
“You’d ask any footballer, you can play in any conditions but the wind is a spoiler and when you’re trying to play – with their pitch – I was looking forward to getting it down, the conditions were just horrendous, the wind, rain, it was gale force and I don’t think there was much football.
“I just think Bootle got to grips with the weather, played conditions better, we’ve got to put it down to a learning curve.”
