Tommy Taylor has ordered his Boston United squad to start getting nasty with each other.

After watching his side slump to their second home defeat in three matches this season, the Pilgrims boss claimed his lightweight-looking team were too nice to one another.

"We're an easy touch at the moment – we've got to be more physical," he said.

"The boys aren't shouting at each other if we make a mistake. They need to be falling out with each other and having a go.

"They're a nice bunch of boys but they've got to be harder."

And judging by the post-match reactions, Taylor may get his wish sooner rather than later.

After witnessing the Pilgrims come undone by a defence-minded Worksop team, the squad had to run the gauntlet of angry fans as they made their way to the tunnel.

And to top things off they were met in the dressing room by furious chairman David Newton.

"I'm not telling you what he said," Taylor added.

"He said a few words but he pays the wages so he's allowed to.

"Times are hard and he's given up a lot for this club – he's allowed to expect better."

The Tigers' battle plan was to pack the midfield, stifle the United attacks, rough them up a bit and pick off any scraps that came their way – something they executed to perfection.

But United were left rueing missed chances.

Jon Froggatt almost scored against his former club, only for Kevin Davies to clear his header off the line, while David Farrell somehow shot over from eight yards out.

Plus it took a finger tip save from keeper Steve Hernandez to deny Kieran Leabon his second goal in two games.

But Worksop also had their opportunities as Kevin Sanasy left Liam Parker standing and rifles a 20-yarder inches wide before Kyle Jackson's volley was blocked by Ryan Clarke.

With 14 minutes to go Sanasy latched on to Paul Stansfield's through ball, rode Liam Green's ineffective challenge, and drove the ball low past Chris Wright.

In stoppage time Froggatt was teed up on the edge of the penalty area but his effort lacked power, the points were gone.

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Bradford Park Avenue climbed to third place in the UniBond Premier Division table after their superb midweek victory over FC United of Manchester but only stayed there overnight.

They go into this weekend in sixth place but have a more than even chance of strengthening their position once again as the visitors to Horsfall Stadium are Buxton, who have not made the best start to the campaign.

The Cheshire outfit are averaging a point per game but only because they have won two of their six starts. They have been beaten in their other four matches and are scratching around for form.

Yet Avenue boss Dave Cameron feels that is no indication of a win for his side, those maximums must be earned.

He said: “All the games will be hard this season, especially the ones at home. Teams come here to play one up front, so that makes it difficult, but we have the players to break them down.

“FC United did that. They came to try to stop us playing and see what they could get on the break. We coped with that and the two goals we scored were superb strikes.

“The first 20 minutes were good but I thought we went sloppy after that and I went absolutely ballistic with the lads at half-time.

“I don’t like having to lose my rag but it seemed to work and, all credit to the lads, they responded. Their performance in the second half was brilliant and the points were deserved.”

Assistant manager and centre back Carl Ruffer was forced off with a groin injury on Monday. Injured midfielder Steve Connors missed the game and both remain doubtful for Saturday.

New signing Roy Stamer should be in line for a third outing after coming on from the bench in the last two games since signing from Farsley Celtic a week ago.

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Karl Marginson says he has not been surprised by the improved standard of teams in the UniBond Premier League – just by the wages.

The FC United boss has seen his newly-promoted side make a mixed start to the new campaign.

The Rebels were sunk by a brace from old boy Rory Patterson at big-spending Bradford Park Avenue on Monday night.

Marginson’s men will look to bounce back against Eastwood Town at Gigg Lane this weekend against a team who have a £9,000-a-week playing budget.

And the manager admits it makes it difficult to compete as the Reds chase a fourth successive promotion.

“That’s five or six times more than I have to spend,” he said.

“There’s a myth that we’re big spenders but we never have been.

“Last season we were about mid-table in terms of paying wages – now we’re bottom.

“We knew teams would be fitter, better organised and have a little bit more quality in this league, and they are.

“But anyone can beat anyone and, if my players start believing in themselves, then they can be a force to be reckoned with.”

Former fans’ favourite Patterson, who was lured to Bradford in a lucrative moved over the summer, came back to haunt his old club in a 2-0 defeat.

The striker put the home side, which also included ex-Rebels man Stuart Rudd in their ranks, ahead after 15 minutes with a stunning 30-yard free-kick.

He doubled the lead just before the hour mark with a cool finish before FC’s Chris Baguley was sent off for his second bookable offence late on as tempers threatened to boil over.

The loss came two days after Kyle Wilson inspired United to a convincing 3-1 victory against Whitby Town.

The striker, Patterson’s replacement, smashed a brilliant hat-trick against the league’s bottom club at Gigg Lane.

Wilson fired the hosts in front on 13 minutes, only for Town to hit back before half-time.

But the former England Under-19s hitman struck again on 66 minutes to restore FC’s advantage, and his third – and sixth of the season – two minutes later wrapped up the points.

FC follow Saturday’s home clash with Eastwood with a trip to Prescot Cables on Tuesday night.

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Buxton boss John Reed has brought two more new faces in his squad following the departure of Mark Hume.

Joining The Bucks are ex Harrogate Town and Harrogate Railway Athletic forward Nathan James and winger Steve Steve, who joins from Stalybridge Celtic.

Smith is no stranger to playing under Reed, as he used to be his manager when the pair of them were at Stalybridge Celtic.

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Defender cum Striker Mark Hume has joined Eastwood Town from Unibond rivals Buxton Town.

30 year old Hume (pictured playing for Harrogate Town) joined Eastwood Town after being put on the transfer list following a sending off at Buxton.

Town Manager Paul Cox commented, “This is a big signing for us,  I felt my Christmas had come early when Hume became available 3 days later."

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Ilkeston Town's unbeaten start has struck a chord with quality players keen to join David Holdsworth's revolution at the New Manor Ground.

That's what led to England under-21 international Dean Gordon being registered at the club, although he needs to build his fitness for the rigours of the Unibond Premier Division.

The 35-year-old left-back played more than 300 Football League games and scored an average of a goal every ten matches. He was recently joint manager at Newcastle Blue Star.

Holdsworth said: "He is short of match fitness and it is basically a case of wait and see. He has been an established player over the years and I like to bring in good quality.

"But there is a lot of choice at the moment. My phone doesn't stop ringing with players wanting to come and play for me.

"People have heard good things about us and how things are improving here. We already have a strong squad at Ilkeston Town but are always in the hunt to improve that."

Gordon made his reputation playing for Crystal Palace before moving to Middlesbrough. He went on loan to Reading before signing for Coventry. In recent seasons he has played for Worksop Town and Whitby, and also had a spell in New Zealand.

Blue Star are second in the Unibond First Division North - while Ilkeston fans are delighted to see their side in the same spot in the Premier.

But Holdsworth is urging supporters to allow his young squad to keep bedding down as they face up to the challenges ahead.

"It's nice to think people are expecting us to win but I would again ask people to be patient," said Holdsworth.

After a successful weekend of two victories, he praised his players after both matches. At Leigh, they recovered from being a goal down to win with efforts by substitutes Jon Douglas and Chris Adam.

"Our fightback was terrific and at 1-0, Leigh didn't have any more clear cut chances. We didn't play as well as we can but we had to play the conditions," he said.

Monday's win came as a result of a penalty by Anthony Howell after he had been fouled in the ninth minute. The manager was full of compliments for his defence which restricted Frickley Athletic to few opportunities to draw level.

Holdsworth described it as a "horrible, horrible game" but felt it demonstrated how resolute his players can be in the face of a tough competitive side which is well adjusted to life in this division.

"George Graham said 'always take one nil.' We know we have to be competitive every game and Frickley were unbeaten and we are still unbeaten.

"We took a lot of positives from the game," said Holdsworth as he prepares for the visit of North Ferriby United on Saturday, kick-off 3pm. He has received three scouting reports about the side, which lost 5-0 to Eastwood Town on Monday.

He expects the Humberside team to provide a stern test and is keen to spoil their recent excellent record in matches against Ilkeston. The visitors arrive with no wins and a draw from four games.

Meanwhile Holdsworth is delighted that Dan MacPherson nearing fitness after pre-season training was disrupted.

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A bogey side and the return of the prodigal son lie in wait for Matlock Town over the next five days.

First up is a trip to Ashton United, who are fresh from a 100 per cent bank holiday weekend return, on Saturday.

Then on Tuesday ex-Gladiator Ian Holmes is set to arrive with his new club Eastwood Town, having thumped in four goals in his last appearance and topping the UniBond League scorers table already.

“Ashton have become something of a bogey side for us,” said joint Matlock boss Phil Brown.

“We never seem to do well against them (Matlock have not beaten the Robins in their last six league encounters and Ashton inflicted a league double over Matlock last term), so now is as good a time as any to put things right.”

Ashton are in fine form, however.

An impressive 1-0 win at Boston United on Saturday was followed by a fine 4-1 home success against Buxton which took them up to eighth spot, two points better off than the 14th placed Gladiators.

As for Eastwood, they were surprisingly beaten 2-0 at Kendal, but four goals from Holmes, who scored 34 times for Matlock in his debut UniBond season in 2006/07, saw The Badgers thrash North Ferriby United at Coronation Park on Monday.

“We know Eastwood's strengths,” said Brown.

“They've spent some big money and will be a danger to us.

“We know only too well what a threat one particular player can be to us, but like as at Guiseley we'll go in there, work hard and hope we can play the football which will lead to us getting the three points.”

Ross Hannah, who scored the goals to earn Matlock their first win of the season at home to Whitby on Saturday, missed the 1-1 draw at Guiseley on Monday with a shoulder injury. But he should be fit to return at Hurst Cross, while Jamie Jackson and Dene Cropper are expected to have recovered from an ankle injury and a dead leg respectively.

Brown was pleased with the weekend performances, and particularly with the draw at Guiseley.

"Some people might call me greedy, but I thought we were worth six points.

“We beat Whitby despite not being at our best. In fact I'd say that was our least effective performance of the season so far, yet we got the three points.

“From a defensive point of view, the Guiseley performance as our best for we did an awful lot of things right up there.

“It's taken 48 minutes for them to really trouble us when they had their first shot, and apart from the goal and Andy Richmond's great save late on, we've looked extremely comfortable."

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Buxton boss John Reed is to rally his troops after a disappointing Bank Holiday weekend saw his side extend their losing streak to three games.

Defeats by FC United of Manchester and Ashton United mean the Bucks have just one win from their opening four games in this season's UniBond Premier Division.

But despite the disappointment, Reed is now turning his attention to Saturday's home clash with Cammell Laird.

"I have got to pick the players up in training, get their chins up, and hopefully we can bounce back and beat Cammell Laird," he told the Advertiser.

"After that we have got two difficult games against Hednesford Town, who are joint top, and then Bradford Park Avenue, but it is up to us to get the players motivated."

A bumper Silverlands crowd of 2,090 watched Buxton go down 1-0 to FC United on Saturday.

Reed blamed poor finishing and a mistake by Terry Bowker and Scott Hartley, which resulted in the only goal of the game.

"Although they (FC United) had a lot of possession, we had the clear-cut chances. We just didn't take them," he said.

"The crowd was absolutely brilliant, but the only thing that spoilt it was the fact we didn't give them the three points.

"Saying that, I couldn't have asked any more from the players on the day."

In the aftermath of Buxton's Bank Holiday Monday fixture at Ashton United, the club has revealed that aspects of the referee's conduct have been reported to the FA.

Apart from the controversial decisions that dominated the match, issues regarding first half time-keeping and comments made to players were raised.

Reed said the scoreline could have been different had the referee awarded an early spot kick: "You will never see a clearer-cut penalty. Stevie Wonder would have seen it!

"We outplayed them in the first half, yet went in a goal behind when we could have been ahead.

"Then we came out in the second half and laid siege on their goal for 20 minutes."

But red cards for Michael Towey and Mark Hume put paid to any Buxton challenge.

Assistant Manager Clive Freeman was also sent from the dugout during the match.

"It was a really bad day at the office. When you are down to ten or nine men it is like flogging a dead horse," he added.

"But I am not criticising any player for any lack of effort. That game had so many twists and turns; the best thing is to forget about it and concentrate on the next match."

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Eastwood Town manager Paul Cox says his side are ready for the challenge of Bradford Park Avenue this weekend after a mixed Bank Holiday period.

Fellow promotion tips Bradford come to Coronation Park having taken just a point from their last two games, but with The Badgers themselves having produced inconsistent performances so far, the match looks set to be a fascinating encounter.

Eastwood produced what Cox described as one of the worst performances of his tenure in the Lake District last Saturday against Kendal Town, before rediscovering their form in the annihilation of North Ferriby United on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cox said Saturday’s game could retrospectively be looked at as one of the best things that could have happened to his side, as he was able to address a number of problems before the Ferriby game to good effect.

He said: “The Kendal game was awful. We started fairly well but then began looking a bit subdued, and we weren’t keeping the ball well.

“We made two mistakes for the goals, and it went downhill from there as we lost our shape, composure and sense of urgency.

“It was a bad day at the office and we will go through times where people don’t play well, but 90 per cent of the team didn’t perform that day.

“I think we still had the Worksop game in our system to be honest, but I firmly believe good can come out of bad and we had a meeting and sorted a structure out for the next game.”

The changes made resulted in a fine performance against a strong North Ferriby United side on Monday, in a match which saw striker Ian Holmes bag four goals.

Cox said: “I really rate and respect North Ferriby and for the first 20 minutes the game was like a tennis rally in terms of both sides creating chances.

“Ferriby looked sharp and moved the ball about, and will certainly take a lot of points of the leading sides this season.

“But once we got 2-0 up we got into a mode that I’d asked for and knew we were capable of. I still think there’s more to come but the structure was so much better and that reflected in the performance.”

Whilst managers never like to single out individual performances, it was hard to ignore Holmes’ four-goal haul which underlined his undoubted quality, and the return of Anton Foster also made a huge difference in midfield.

“Ian is a natural goalscorer and not only a good player but a good, honest lad too, and I can’t speak highly enough about him,” said Cox.

“He wasn’t served well at Worksop and Kendal but showed what he can do against Ferriby.

“Anton is one of the best midfielders in the league and it’s no coincidence that when he came back we played so well. He and Richard Dunning really complement superbly.”

With regard to the next two games, which see a trip to Matlock on Tuesday following the Bradford game, Cox was under no illusions as to the task in hand, not just for those games but for the challenging month ahead too.

He said: “The next five games are very tough.

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Whitby Town joint boss Phil Brumwell is calling for a big improvement following a wretched start to the season which sees his team pointless and virtually propping up the league.

The Blues have lost to Buxton, Frickley, Matlock and Kendal in a nightmare start to their UniBond Premier campaign and took five hours until they found the net, against Kendal on Monday.

But the good news is the Blues have finally landed midfielder Jimmy Beadle on loan from York City for an initial period of one month.

Beadle (20) goes straight into tomorrow's squad to play FC United of Manchester.

"Hopefully he will add a bit of steel," said Brumwell.
"We've been chasing him for a while and Graeme Clark has done a lot of work getting him in."

Brumwell is now hoping the Blues will improve their results and performances as they bid to zoom up the table.

"It's not good enough in the club's and the supporters' eyes," he said. "We've played four average sides – not outstanding sides – but they've worked hard, been organised and we're not dealing with route one balls over the top.

"We're getting punished due to individual errors and not defending properly as a team.

"The club expects more, we expect more and the lads were devastated after losing to Kendal."

The 3-2 home defeat to the Cumbrians leaves the Blues bottom but one of the premier division, with only Prescot Cables below them on goal difference.

A hat-trick of defensive blunders contributed to Whitby's downfall as they found themselves two down inside five minutes.
"At 2-0 down it's an uphill challenge. It was the same sort of goals, with a long ball over the top, which we haven't dealt with for the first four games," said Brumwell.

"In the second half I couldn't fault the lads, they were energetic and looked like they could create something."

Tomorrow, the Blues visit newcomers FC United of Manchester in a game which is expected to attract a large turnout.

"You can go to some terrible places in this league but going to Gigg Lane in front of a big crowd, personally I would see it as a morale booster," said Brumwell.

"We did that last season at AFC Telford and we rose to it.
"We will be playing in front of a big crowd at a league standard stadium and I hope some of the younger lads don't freeze.

"We will be fighting to go there for a win and then we've got Ossett Town at home on Wednesday so we need to start picking up points."

A supporters' bus for tomorrow's game leaves the club house at 10am but supporters must book.

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Joint Matlock Town boss Phil Brown reckons the Gladiators might already have met this season's UniBond Premier League champions-with the new season just two games old.

Bradford Park Avenue were at Causeway Lane on Tuesday night for Matlock's first home league game of the season, and having beaten Prescot Cables 4-0 on the opening day, they inflicted the same scoreline on the Gladiators.

 “I don't think we're going to come up against as strong a side as Bradford, well organised, difficult to break down and having some great forwards, but to be honest, having said that, it was never a 4-0 game,” said Brown.

“We came up against a very strong and a very good side but we created a lot of chances and could have got back into it.

“We had two or three great opportunities just after half time that would have put us right back in the game but when you're up against a quality side like Bradford you've got to be ruthless and take them or be punished.

“Then we make another naive mistake and find ourselves 3-0 down.”

Brown admitted his team's defending in the opening two fixtures, which has seen them leak seven goals, has not been good enough.

“We gifted FC United two of their goals which is disappointing and we've been generous against Bradford although I felt we missed Ashley Foyle against two big strong lads on Tuesday,” said Brown.

“It has to be said that as a unit we didn't defend well.

“Obviously we wanted more than just a point from the two opening games but it's early days yet.”

Matlock have fielded attacking looking line ups in the two matches so far.

"We've used this system for four games now and people have been delighted with our attacking play,” said Brown.

“Tuesday saw our first defeat playing this way and we've just got to accept that we've come up against one of the strongest sides we'll play against.

“On another day how many goals could we have got?

“I think people can see we've got a very young side who like to play attacking football, but we found out on Tuesday what a tough league we're in this season. We were naive, showed that lack of experience and were outmuscled.”

Foyle will return to the squad for the August Bank Holiday fixtures after missing the Bradford game attending a family funeral.

Whitby Town, pointless and goalless after their first two games at home to Buxton and away at Frickley Athletic, visit Causeway Lane on Saturday with the Gladiators travelling to Guiseley on Monday afternoon.

“We want to get that first win and need to put things right against Whitby.

“We've got a young squad with plenty of quality players and a good win in front of the home fans will do wonders for everyone.

“Everyone's fit and I'm sure the lads will be raring to go,” said Brown.

“The Guiseley match will be difficult.

“Like Bradford they've spent a lot of money, but we'll go up there looking for the three points.”

Meanwhile Matlock added to their squad late last week with the signings of winger Luke Federenko, released by Barnsley, and goalkeeper Paddy Foster, formerly with Walsall and Tamworth.

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Ryan Clarke is calling for Boston United fans to turn out in force and help cheer the Pilgrims to promotion.

The amber and blacks' UniBond Premier campaign kicks off at York Street tonight (KO 7.45pm) when Ossett Town are the visitors.

And Clarke – back for his second spell at United – is telling the terrace faithful they can be the difference between a good season and a great season.

"The fans have always been really important here," said Clarke, who previously turned out for the Pilgrims in the Football League.

"When they get behind the team it makes a difference. When I came back here last season (as a Worcester City player) there was a crowd of 1,500 for a mid-table match.

"They can definitely make the difference when they get behind you."

And the Pilgrims fans may be in fuller voice than usual after being granted a return to the Town End.

The behind-goal terraced stand has been used for away fans for the past seven years as a segregated end was needed as the club climbed the footballing ladder.

Now the home fans have been permitted its use once again.

Clarke rejoined the Pilgrims in the summer and has quickly forged a strong central defensive partnership with Matt Bloomer.

And with the likes of Wes Parker, Ollie Ryan and David Farrell also arriving in the close season, Clarke believes York Street still has very much the feel of a Blue Square North outfit.

"Boston finished mid-table last season and there's not a lot of difference here this year," he added.

"It doesn't feel any different. The squad's strong and the pitch is still great.

The team spirit's great and there's competition for places which is healthy for everyone."

After the Pilgrims' summer demotion, Clarke reckons the players are all desperate to bounce straight back up.

"Everyone's just concentrating on promotion," he added.

"We were all devastated at what happened. But that doesn't matter now – we're all looking in the right direction.

"If we play as we have been doing then there shouldn't be any issues."

United are kicking off the campaign five days later than the rest of the league – due to a problem with weekend opponents Nantwich's pitch – but hope for a winning start against Ossett, who drew 1-1 at home to Hednesford on Saturday.

"If we don't look at it like we want to go up and be positive then it's a waste of time playing football," added manager Tommy Taylor, banging the promotion drum.

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