Cox wants Lions to wise up after Daggers defeat

GUISELEY manager Paul Cox has demanded that his Lions side learn from their mistakes ahead of this evening's National League outing at AFC Fylde.
Lee MolyneuxLee Molyneux
Lee Molyneux

Resilience and being hard to beat have been two defining traits of the Cox regime thus far, with Cox intent on his troops showing that Saturday’s uncharacteristically sloppy 3-2 defeat at Dagenham and Redbridge was very much in isolation.

The Nethermoor outfit raced into a 2-0 lead, courtesy of goals from Lee Molyneux and Mike Fondop, but saw that advantage dissipate before the break with the Daggers netting the winner ten minutes from time, with Cox critical of his side’s mental softness after the game.

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Anxious that valuable lessons will be learned, Cox, whose side dropped back in the relegation positions as a result of the setback, said: “I was concerned with our mentality (on Saturday) and that worried me, especially after going into a two-nil lead.

Paul CoxPaul Cox
Paul Cox

“Good teams then go and shut up shop and come away winning that game.

“For whatever reason, we did not have that response. You can look at the whole scenario in playing two tough games before the game on Saturday where for the majority of the time we played with 10 men, but I expect more from us as a group.

“I thought our body language was quite submissive in the second half and we never really got out of the blocks and never really asked questions of Dagenham and we conceded the third goal, which killed us.

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“We have spoken about it and if anyone has got their mind on the FA Cup, then they need to get rid of it straightaway as this is our bread and butter and the league is our priority.

Paul CoxPaul Cox
Paul Cox

“I am not going to have players who just want to play in the FA Cup because of the razzamataz and bright lights.

“We are going into Fylde and will try and learn by some of the mistakes we made. I don’t think any of them were to do with technicality or shape.

“I think it was the mentality and there is not very many times where I have had to question the players on that. It was a cause for concern.

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“I will look at the bodies we have got and pick a team accordingly for Tuesday night.”

Cox admits that he will be mindful of Guiseley’s recent schedule when he comes to finalising his line-up.

Tonight’s Roses game at 16th-placed Fylde is Guiseley’s third road trip in the space of a week and Cox is likely to freshen up his side this evening, with the likes of John Rooney, Danny Lowe and Rowan Liburd likely to come into his thoughts, along with the likes of Raul Corriera and Andy Haworth.

Cox added: “We have got to get back on the horse. There are lot of things to think about.

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“There are the fatigue levels and I have to look at the science of things. We have (recently) played two games; one of them with 10 men for 88 minutes and another where for a large period of the game and extra time, we had10 men.

“So I will work out the physicality of this game.”

FC Halifax Town, in 17th spot, visit Hartlepool United tonight, seeking to end their nine-match winless streak.

The Shaymen last tasted victory back on September 23.

Should Town fail to win, it will be their longest run of matches without victory under Billy Heath.