Jansen hoping for a Boston tea party

Chorley head east to Boston tomorrow as they look to put a rare away defeat behind them.
Dale Whitham scored twice in four days (photo: Josh Vosper)Dale Whitham scored twice in four days (photo: Josh Vosper)
Dale Whitham scored twice in four days (photo: Josh Vosper)

The Magpies were beaten 2-1 at FC Halifax Town on Tuesday night, their first setback on the road since early October.

Matt Jansen regarded the loss at the Shay as a ‘blip’ rather than anything more sinister and predicts a positive response in Lincolnshire.

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“We have bounced back every time we have had a disappointment,” said Chorley boss Jansen.

“The lads will do that, they are a team and are very much together – I know that they will put it right.

“Halifax was a little bit of a blip and we go again at Boston.”

Chorley went 2-0 down to Halifax before a Dale Whitham goal – his second in four days – pulled them back into the contest.

Despite late pressure they could not find an equaliser.

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That search for a leveller even saw centre-half Andy Teague come off the bench to play up front in the closing stages, highlighting the current shortage of strikers.

Said Jansen: “We are a bit light up front – Jason Walker has a knee injury.

“We are trying to recruit and hopefully something will happen in the next week or so.”

Jansen pointed the finger at some decisions from the officials in his post-match analysis of the Halifax loss.

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The hosts’ first goal came from the penalty spot, with a debatable free-kick given Halifax’s way which led to the second.

“It was disappointing to lose but the lads again showed how strong and how resolute they were against a good Halifax team away from home,” said Jansen.

“They battled and on another day, we would have got more out of the game. I could argue about umpteen decisions which went against us.

“For me, it was offside before the penalty, secondly for the penalty, their player went down easily – Ritchie Branagan said the player fell into him.

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“Whether it was a foul before their second goal, I don’t know.

“The players were getting frustrated with the officials, I was getting frustrated and even their management were getting frustrated.

“When you have got inadequate referees and officials, it ruins the game.

“Hopefully something can be done about it because for me, it wrecked that game.

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“Decisions were going against honest players who were putting heart and soul into a performance.

“At half-time I told the lads to keep doing what they had been because they were playing well enough.

“I don’t need to motivate them that much because of the type of group they are. In the second half they gave 100% to try and get back into the game.

“It was a good finish from Dale for our goal and when that went in, it looked like we would be the team scoring the next goal.

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“Unfortunately we couldn’t get the second goal which our play deserved. We’ll keep our heads up and respond to this.”

Chorley stayed in third place, nine points behind leaders AFC Fylde.

Tomorrow’s opponents Boston are in 14th position, and before last week’s defeat to Stockport had gone four games unbeaten.

They appointed former Mansfield boss Adam Murray as their new manager last month.