“We just need to do so much more from within our group”: Lancaster City boss eyes a response to FA Cup defeat

Jimmy Marshall believes Lancaster City’s players have the ideal match this weekend as they look to bounce back from their FA Cup disappointment.

Having been beaten at Bradford (Park Avenue) in their second qualifying round tie last Saturday, the Dolly Blues’ focus remains on knockout football.

This Saturday sees Marshall’s squad face an FA Trophy third qualifying round match at Cleethorpes Town, the early NPL Premier leaders.

While City presently sit 16th in the table, their hosts are a point ahead of Avro and Redcar Athletic at the summit after drawing with the latter on Tuesday.

Speaking after last Saturday’s defeat, Marshall told club media: “Sometimes, when you go to a game and you’re playing top of the league, away from home, playing like we are at the moment, everybody’s got us down for going out haven’t they?

“It’s a perfect opportunity to go and put a response in - and that is what we will do.

“We’ll train hard this week and we’ll give the best version of ourselves, hopefully, next week.

“It doesn’t matter who we play, we just need to do so much more from within our group.

“We look at the opposition, we’ve got a great scouting network who do a lot of good work for us.

“At the moment, if we can’t go and implement what we want to do when we’ve got the ball and when we haven’t got the ball, then we’re not only letting supporters down, we’re letting scouts down who are going and putting the hard yards in on a Tuesday night, watching the opposition.

“For myself, right from the top, right through the whole squad, we need to do more.”

Having brought in Ben Jackson and Harry Evers last week, Marshall has added another new face to the squad at Giant Axe with the arrival of Sidi Sanogo Fofana on Monday.

The 27-year-old, who can play in the centre of defence or midfield, was most recently at Cymru Premier side Flint Town.

His former clubs also include Radcliffe, Macclesfield, Runcorn Linnets, Clitheroe, Atherton Collieries and Bamber Bridge.

Marshall added: “He will add a dimension to our midfield we think we are short of and has been playing his football most recently in the Welsh Premier League, so he comes with good pedigree.”

However, Alfie Cunningham has returned to Southport upon the conclusion of his loan with the Dolly Blues.