Langley plea to AFC Fylde fans

The Coasters have lost back-to-back games in the National League North for the first time this season, but Langley insists the situation isn’t nearly as bad as some are making out.

Monday’s 2-1 home defeat by Curzon Ashton saw Dave Challinor’s injury-hit side drop to fifth in the table, though only five points separate the top six and Fylde have games in hand on all but one of the teams above them.

Even so, Langley admitted: “Results and performances haven’t been up to scratch recently and we know we can do a lot better.

“That said, we are just five points off the top of the league with three games in hand on Nuneaton, so when you look at it like that we aren’t doing too badly at all. We know we can still improve, though.”

Speaking ahead of Saturday home derby against Chorley, Langley added: “There’s no denying the number of injuries we have suffered has played a big part. I don’t think we had one serious injury all last season, so that has been a major factor.

“We had a bad spell last January, so hopefully we have got this season’s bad run out of the way now.

“We are still very close to the top of the league, so I think people are probably making our situation out to be worse than it actually is. We just need to keep going and get the squad fit again.

“Our ambitions are exactly the same as they were from the first kick – we want to win the league. Coming so close to promotion last year has really spurred us on. We know from experience that the play-offs are a gamble, so our aim is to finish in top spot.

“I haven’t been surprised how difficult it has been this season. There are some very good teams in our division and we knew that right from the very start.

“This league is much stronger than it was last season in my opinion, with some good teams coming down from the Conference and coming up from the Evo-Stik.

“Recent results have been tough to take but we still believe in ourselves. The manager always instils that into us because we know we are a very good team.

“Monday didn’t quite go to plan against Curzon Ashton but not every game will

“We know we can play a lot better and Saturday presents us with a great chance to put that right against Chorley.”

The former Wigan Athletic defender missed the first three and a half months of the season with a broken metatarsal but is now delighted to be back in the manager’s plans.

He added: “It’s great to be back in the team and a relief to be playing again.

“After so long out, it was always going to take me a while to get back to where I want to be in terms of fitness.

“That is getting better with each game and now I am looking forward to a good second half to the season. “I’ve had the odd ache and pain and tight muscle after games, but no reaction to the original injury and hopefully it stays that way.

“When I first came back into the team I was playing with Brad (Roscoe) and now it’s Dom (Collins).

“Last year, playing with a settled partner in Tom (Hannigan) almost all season helped me a lot.

“It’s good to get that understanding but the other two are also very good players, so I can have no complaints.”

DANIEL AGNEW