Dave Anderson says Barton Town Old Boys have to improve for the FA Vase first round tie at Bootle
Dave Anderson says Barton Town Old Boys have to learn from recent defeats if they want to progress to the second round of the FA Vase tomorrow.
A win at North West Counties Premier Division side Bootle would match Barton’s record of twice reaching the second round – both achieved by Anderson in 2010 and 2011.
But after two defeats in three Toolstation NCEL Premier Division matches – to Staveley and Garforth – Anderson insists his side have to improve.
“The game is very important for us,” he told Non League Yorkshire.
“It is the furthest we have ever gone (straight into the Vase) because we earned the right because we finished runners-up last season.
“We will go to Bootle and it will be very difficult. We lost 4-1 there in the FA Cup last year, but we will go a lot stronger.
“We have to learn from the Garforth result and pick ourselves up. It is a massive day for the club.
“We want to go on further in the Vase. We’ll go there with confidence and I’m sure if we’re right that we can get the right result.”
Since losing all four of their opening game which left them bottom of the table, Barton have responded by winning nine games out of their last 12.
The run has taken them to the brink of the top five, but Anderson was unhappy with their most recent defeat – the 2-1 loss to Garforth in midweek.
Barton controlled possession and somehow lost after Garforth struck twice inside three minutes in the second half.
Anderson said: “We were terrific in the first half, but it was a lapse of concentration for two minutes.
“It keeps happening and it is very frustrating.
“The first half was the best we have played, but we have gone and lost a game we should have never have lost.
“I thought we were in total control during the first half. Some of our passing and movement was terrific and it is what we practise.
“We obviously came in at half-time and its about game management. We had total domination.
“But when we get behind, we just go long and we panic. We came off scratching our heads over how we have lost the game.
“We keep saying that, but we can’t keep making excuses because at the end of the day it is just not good enough.”