Bamber Bridge No.2 Matt Lawlor targets return to winning ways

Joey Collins (left) and Matt LawlorJoey Collins (left) and Matt Lawlor
Joey Collins (left) and Matt Lawlor
Matt Lawlor admits he is getting fed up of his Saturday nights being ruined by Bamber Bridge’s long winless run.

The Brig captain – who is also manager Joey Collins’ assistant – has not enjoyed the feeling of success in the NPL Premier Division since beating Atherton Collieries 3-0 at the start of last month.

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The particular win came on a Tuesday evening and you have to go back to August 24 since the team registered a win at the weekend.

Over the past eight league games, Brig have picked up just three points and they have dropped into the bottom three – albeit on goal difference.

On Saturday, they went down to a 3-2 defeat at Stalybridge Celtic – despite leading 2-1.

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Lawlor admits something must change soon as he does not want to see scenario developing like last season when his men only secured safety in the penultimate games of the campaign.

“I am completely fed up with it to be honest,” said Lawlor.

“Performances have been better than the results have shown.

“But that’s immaterial really, performances without results get you nowhere – you don’t get any points.

“We don’t want it to be like last season and we talked about that after the game. We want to be nowhere near the bottom by Christmas.”

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Lawlor believes his men can draw inspiration from the form of near neighbours Lancaster City who are flying high near the top after an impressive start.

“You have just got to look at Lancaster and see what they are doing,” said Lawlor.

“They are a similar sized club to us, albeit they have got a bigger budget. They are not a million miles away from us but obviously they have got something in their dressing room which is driving them forward.

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“That’s what we need. There is very little myself and Joey can do.

“It’s down to the players now, they have to take responsibility.”

This weekend, Brig host Scarborough Athletic at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium.

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Surprisingly, they are struggling at the moment and are in the bottom half of the table.

“Scarborough are a massive club at this level,” said Lawlor. “They will have a big following and I remember last season they were probably one of the best teams we played at our place.

“I think they have improved since then even if results are not showing that at the moment.”

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On the injury front, Brig have received a blow with the news that young striker Michael Fowler – on loan from Fleetwood – faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after straining his quad in training.

Midfielder Danny Wisdom looks set to return, though, while Joe Booth is a couple of weeks away from fitness.