Dolly Blues boss Phil Brown is hopeful of an upturn in fortunes after picking up first point of the season

Phil Brown is hoping the result against Bamber Bridge will be the starting point for an upturn in fortunes for his Lancaster City team.
Phil BrownPhil Brown
Phil Brown

The Dolly Blues picked up their first point of the season on Tuesday when they drew 1-1 with Brig in a battling performance at Giant Axe.

Previously they had lost all five of their opening NPL Premier Division league games in a disastrous start which has consigned them to the bottom of the table.

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However, after losing 3-1 at Gainsborough Trinity on Saturday, it appeared City were heading for all three points against Brig after Tom Kilifin scored at the second attempt after initially seeing his spot-kick saved by Lloyd Rigby.

But hosts were to be denied as Danny Forbes headed home for the visitors with four minutes remaining.

Brown admitted that the opening few weeks of the season have probably been the toughest of his career, but he has seen enough from his men to think that they can turn things around.

“I am not going to lie, it’s been tough,” said Brown.

“I can’t remember a time when I have been on the back of five defeats in a row.

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“It’s been tough in terms of the results and some of the performances have been difficult and hard to swallow.

“But overall, we have not been down in the dumps.

“I have gone on record a few times saying that I have seen signs and the players have not given in.

“They are still trying and I think we saw that on Tuesday night.

“They were desperate to get something out of the game and were prepared to do what they needed to do. For me, it’s that which has kept me going.

“I’ve wanted to see that we could actually turn the corner.

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“Now if we had been miles off and the players had looked disgruntled, then you think about things, don’t you?

“We said last week after we had played five, lost five and looked at some of the halves that we had put in which were poor; you start ringing around trying to bring players in.

“But we never did that because we never felt like that. We felt this group still had a lot more to give.

“We were though very conscious that it’s a fine line and we needed to get some results.

“The draw on Tuesday night is a starting point for us.”

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Brown felt his men deserved a point against Brig even if the visitors probably had the more clear-cut 
chances.

“I think overall the game ebbed and flowed in the first half,” Brown said.

“We had 10 minutes, they had 10 minutes. I thought it was quite an even game.

“Second half they edged possession a bit more, but it left them open to the counter attack. We were a little bit more compact and it allowed us to break forward .

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“To concede so late on was a little bit of a sickener, but I wouldn’t begrudge Bamber Bridge a point and overall it was a fair result I thought.”

This weekend City entertain NPL West Division outfit Trafford at Giant Axe in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup.

The Manchester-based side are currently in the lower reaches of the division below and it offers City a great opportunity to get their first win of the season.