AFC Fylde head coach will keep challenging players

The Coasters head to FC Halifax Town (3pm), looking to bounce back from their 3-1 loss to Rochdale on Boxing Day.

That defeat – Fylde’s fifth in seven National League matches – combined with results elsewhere dropped them back into the relegation places.

They travel to a Halifax team sitting in eighth position; a tough enough challenge but one which isn’t helped by Fylde’s awful away form this season.

While they have the division’s 12th-best home record, they are the second-worst team when it comes to results on the road with four points from 36.

Phillips said after defeat to Rochdale: “I’ll do everything I can, it’s a challenge for me.

“I’ll keep going, I’ll keep challenging the players, I’ll try and pick a team that I think will win the football match.

“We’ve lost another game but what we have to do now is we can’t throw the towel in, we have to stick together.

“We’re going to have to learn from it, we’re going to have to analyse the goals we’re conceding and we’re going to have to do something about it.

“We’ve got a few days until the Halifax game so we can work on stuff but, ultimately, like in any league that you play in, players have to take responsibility when they’re on the pitch.

“We can’t keep shouting on instructions. Until they do that, we’re going to keep conceding goals so it’s something I need to address.”