Fylde hope four will return for bounce-back test with Telford

The Coasters suffered a shock 5-0 defeat at Salford on Saturday, but Challinor is hopeful that his depleted squad could receive a huge boost as they look to get their promotion bid back on track.

Midfielders Andy Bond, James Hardy, Matty Hughes and captain Josh Langley will all face late fitness tests but the Coasters boss says he is optimistic.

Challinor said: “The weekend’s result proved that it is important that we have everyone available for selection.

“We haven’t got the biggest squad in the first place, so to have experienced players back is extremely important.

“We are no different to anyone else – any team with four or five key players missing has the potential to struggle. So to have at least three, potentially four back for the weekend will give everyone a huge boost.

“It’s key that we bounce back as we have done on the occasions that we have lost games this season. Our focus is purely on winnin at Mill Farm on Saturday against Telford.

“The reaction in training this week has been very good. We try as much as possible not to get too high after a win or too low after a defeat.

“We were never daft enough to think we wouldn’t lose games throughout season. You just have to try and be as consistent as possible and I think we have done a good job of that.

“We have watched the video from the weekend and will learn from it. We don’t forget about defeats or sweep them under the carpet, similarly with victories. There is always something you can learn from a game.

“A friend of mine said to me the other day that one 5-0 defeat is better than five 1-0 defeats, so we can’t afford to get too disheartened by one result.

“No doubt it was disappointing but the first opportunity is the best one to put it right. We will be doing everything possible to achieve that.”