Cox reveals full-time goal after stabilising Guiseley

The 22nd-placed Lions’ pressing business is stabilising in the National League after an underwhelming start to the campaign which has seen them win just one of their first 15 league fixtures.

Cox himself is awaiting his first victory after seven matches in charge, although a haul of five draws in that run has provided some elements of comfort.

The former Mansfield and Barrow boss is starting to make his mark in the transfer market, with four players – Simon Lenighan, Mike Fondop, Lewis Freestone and Andy Haworth – having already arrived, with the promise of more to come as his squad revamp continues.

Further down the line, Cox has revealed that discussions have also taken place regarding the prospect of Guiseley turning full-time, with that remaining the ultimate aspiration for the go-ahead Nethermoor outfit, once they have consolidated their place in the division.

Cox told the YEP: “I do ultimately think that we will go full-time. (But) To come in and change things overnight is not proactive sometimes.

“At the minute, it is assessing where we are good and where we can improve. Football evolves and we have got to evolve as a football club.

“While there is always the football planning and the team, I also have meetings with Steve (Parkin) about the club evolving and growing.

“It needs a proper infrastructure putting in there and that infrastructure being laid on proper foundations. That is all the work that needs to be done along with winning football matches.

“It is exciting, but I am not looking to the end of the season and Christmas time. I am focusing on trying to get results and building an understanding of us as a team who can get consistent football results.”

Still awaiting his first win he may be, but Cox has been pleased with his side’s efforts in the main, certainly in terms of application, organisation and desire, exemplified in his side’s 1-1 weekend draw at Maidstone.

Finding a ruthless edge in the final third to turn those draws into wins is currently occupying the attentions of the Lions chief, seeking to cultivate a team ethos and ‘DNA’ as he puts it.

Cox said: “There are a lot of good people who want to see the club progress and I see a bit in Guiseley of all the previous clubs I have managed. It is nice to come into a football club and build. It is a motivational factor.

“I want to lay down some foundations on the playing front to put some structure and organisation down and try and create a DNA amongst ourselves as a football club. As the one thing that I believe that we currently don’t have is a DNA, we need to put down some foundations so that when we go to places, people have an understanding of who we are.

“I have a lot of hard work in front of me, but that is fun. I love hard work.

“We just want to get that all elusive win. I think we have earned them somewhere, but we have got to go and earn it and make it happen.

“We cannot just sit back and say ‘we’ve done okay’, we have got to go and earn the right to win a football match now.”