Winning goal in FA Trophy showcased Lancaster City at their best

A superb counter-attack involving Sam Bailey, Christian Sloan and Paul Dawson ultimately led to Charlie Bailey racing clear and sliding the ball home.

That saw City secure a 2-1 win and progression through to the first round proper of the FA Trophy where they have been drawn away to Gainsborough Trinity.

As far as Fell was concerned, the goal typified his team at their very best and hopes it can provide his players with the belief as to how good they can be when they are in full flow.

“It was a quick counter-attacking move and we have got that quality in us and it’s probably about us getting that side of us out there a little bit more and using that tactic a little bit more,” said Fell.

“We are undoubtedly at our best when we are countering teams.

“The teams that want to sit in against us and try to make us dictate play , that is probably where we are not at our best.

“And that’s because we don’t have the players that teams such as South Shields or Buxton have.

“They have the budget to bring in players from the National League North who can unlock defences.

“We don’t have that so we have to be a little bit more dynamic with the way we play because that suits us.

“The winning goal on Saturday was a good representation of how we can do that by countering quickly.

“We created lots of chances in the second half and it just felt a little bit more like what we are about.”

Inconsistency has certainly been the story of City’s season so far – they have won seven of their 17 leagues games with nine defeats.

They currently lie in 10th spot in the table – six points shy of the play-offs and seven clear of the drop zone.

Fell believes his men are far too good to get dragged into a relegation fight but has challenged his squad to start putting a run of results together which could still propel them into the top five in the NPL Premier Division.

“I think we have won three and lost three of our last six matches which shows how inconsistent we have been,” he said.

“We have now got to put a little run together but the fixtures we have between now and Christmas are going to be tough.

“We have got Buxton who I think are the best team in the division although bizarrely they got rid of their manager this week.

“But I think they are growing into being the best team in the division.

“We have also got Warrington and Nantwich away from home and Scarborough away this weekend. So our run up to Christmas is tough.”

Scarborough are just below City in the league table and have also suffered from inconsistency this season.

At the weekend they were humbled 4-0 by Liversedge, who hail from the NPL East Division, in the FA Trophy.

“It’s hard to say if it’s a good time to play them on the back of what was a really poor result for them on Saturday against a team from the division below,” said Fell, who is set to be without Rhys Turner and Simon Wills, while there is a doubt over Andy Teague.

“I think they will be low on confidence so I think for us it’s a game which we will be looking to make a quick start and turn the screw on them.

“Having said that I expect them to give a reaction and they have got good players.

“It’s a very hostile place to go to. The fans let you know you’re in a game.”

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