Shakers ready to heed wake-up call
12:10pm Thursday 11th March 2010 in Bury FC By Marc Higginson
BURY skipper Stephen Dawson has demanded an improvement from his team as they look to reignite their charge for League One.
The promotion-chasing Shakers have drawn four successive matches and, despite sitting in the top three, the inspirational Irishman admits performances must get better.
Dawson revealed that some home truths were exchanged in the dressing room after Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with bottom-of-the-table Darlington and has challenged his team-mates to up their game against Macclesfield on Saturday.
“We all know it hasn’t been good enough but I am not going to sit and criticise anybody,” he said.
“We know ourselves that, collectively and individually, we were not good enough on Tuesday night. A few things have been said in the dressing room because we are angry with ourselves. We demand a lot more from each other as a team and individuals and we have to come back stronger now.
“There are still 33 points to play for and I think six or seven wins will be enough to do it for us.
“We have to stick together. I know everyone is getting frustrated and edgy but we are not going to get anywhere by being at each other’s throats.”
One of the contributing factors in Bury’s failure to finish off teams is their lack of goals.
They have failed to score from open play in more than 500 minutes of action and Dawson believes goals should be coming from all over the pitch to relieve the pressure on the strikers.
“In the last couple of matches we have been huffing and puffing and missing chances, myself included, and we have to get better,” said the 24-year-old Dubliner.
“I think the defenders and midfielders can chip in with a few more goals. I am not going to criticise the strikers because I think personally I have cost the team four points in the last couple of games (by missing chances) but we win and lose as a team.
“Some of the players have been getting stick and I do think that is harsh because we are third in the league. I know people expect a lot but, two years ago when I came here, the team had just avoided relegation.
“We are not making excuses because we know we have not been good enough for the last couple of games but we want the fans to get behind us and we will give it our best.
“I believe we can go up but we need to start winning games now.
“In the next few weeks we play Notts County, Aldershot and Rotherham and I think that will decide where we end up in the table.
“I believe we can beat all of those teams.”
Alan Knill has no fresh injury worries ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Moss Rose, meaning long-term casualties Paul Scott, Danny Carlton and Damien Allen are the only players missing from the squad.
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