Skelmersdale United manager Richard Brodie insists his side need a reaction against table-topping Macclesfield after their midweek cup defeat to South Liverpool.
Skem looked to be sailing into the Second Round of the Liverpool Senior Cup as they went in 3-0 up at the break against the North West Counties Division One North side.
However, Mason Nevitt’s hat-trick turned the tie on its head before Martin Ryman’s side knocked out Skelmersdale United 5-3 on penalties.
After being dumped out of the cup, the Blues boss is looking for his side to return to the standards they previously set which saw them win three on the bounce ahead of their trip to Macclesfield.
He told Off The Park: “I said to them on Saturday ‘lads we’ve won three games but we’ve done nothing’ to put a performance like that in on Saturday and then a performance like that on Wednesday is chalk and cheese.
“It just proves you can’t take anyone for granted, that’s why everyone loves the game, but very disappointing. I wouldn’t expect us to go 3-0 up in a league game and capitulate like that, we did, we folded against a side two divisions below, that’s no disrespect.
“But we have to get used to the fact most weeks we are the underdogs, [against South Liverpool] we weren’t, as a footballer you have to accept that and deal with it.
“For me, I still try to take the positives out of it and the positives are we’ve been brought back down to earth and we now need a reaction and there’s no better place to get a reaction because things can’t get any worse than they were last night.
“The lads know that, they know I’ll back them to the hilt and I was proud of them on Saturday but you’re only as good as your last game. For me, they need to go prove Saturday and bring the standards back that they’ve set, I told them that last night, they set the standard in those three league games so go get them back on Saturday.”
Matty Hamilton scored a delicious chip against Mossley to dent their promotion hopes as his goal helped Skem to their third straight league win under Brodie.
“It was excellent, we’ve been good in spells in the game, we’ve been good with the ball, without the ball In certain games leading up to it,” he added on his feelings surrounding the win.
“In terms of Saturday, it was the most complete performance as a group since I’d been there, we looked organised and they found it hard to break us down which ultimately you’ve always got something to build off and then counter-attacking the way we did.
“I thought we were absolutely tremendous and fully deserving of the win against a very good side, very experienced side, another one established at this level. Very very pleasing to show the squad.
“After six when we’d lost six in a row, I had full belief. If someone had said Skem would win three on the bounce, people would’ve laughed but I had full belief in the squad and the players but it shows the character we’ve got, shows we are capable of competing in this division.
“We’ve taken nine points and taking it into Macclesfield being a free-hit, no one is expected to win games. Whatever we get is a bonus but we’ll give a good account of ourselves.”
This weekend sparks the reunion between last season’s two promoted teams from the North West Counties Premier Division.
Both sides went toe-to-toe in the quest to win automatic promotion as they struck a rivalry during the business end of the campaign.
Things are different now as former Warrington Rylands boss David McNabb takes charge of his second game following Danny Whitaker’s dismissal. For Skem, it will be the 10th game for the former York City striker after he replaced promotion-winning manager Paul McNally following his cross-county switch to City of Liverpool.
But going into the game, he insists there is no pressure on his side. He continued: “The approach is absolutely zero pressure, the approach is enjoy the day, do what we done against Mossley, be organised, hard to beat, work as hard as we possibly can on and off the ball.
“Let’s be honest 80 per cent of the time we’ll probably be without the ball so we have to be organised and disciplined.
“We will get chances, it’s been proven with Bootle, 1874 have gone there, hard chances and took them so we will get chances because we’ve got the players but there’s absolutely no pressure. I’ve said to the lads go and enjoy, give a good account but for me, there’s absolutely no pressure on the lads.”
