Whitchurch Alport head into a triple-header of away games after suffering a fourth straight Yockings Park defeat at the weekend.

Promotion chasing Bootle won by the only goal of the game against a Whitchurch side that has just a solitary victory in the last 13 league outings – that against bottom club Litherland REMYCA a fortnight ago.

Congleton and Winsford are both winnable matches and Reds boss Matt Burton does not think his side are too far away from kicking on.

“Before the Squires Gate match we weren’t anywhere near good enough,” he said. “We had to change things.

"We decided to be more compact and set up where we were going to be hard to beat and I think certainly in the last four matches you can see the change.

"Clean sheets in Blackpool and then again at Remy gave us a platform and we’ve pushed two sides who are likely to be promoted out of the Prem all the way.

"Congleton are six games without a win but I don’t see that as a game that might increase the pressure on me.

"Let’s go and make it seven games. They have three or four of our former players and they’ll be out to prove a point so there will be a bit of spice to the game and I’m looking forward to it.”

Burton was disappointed with the result on Saturday but not with the performance, which he feels is constantly improving.

He added: “I felt in the first half that we were sloppy and by that I mean in possession, our passing and our decision-making and I told the lads that at half-time. They are an honest bunch and agreed with me and in the second half for me there was only one side likely to win the match.

"The goal was a real sucker punch because it came from our attack and Hughesy (Alex Hughes) should have been given a free-kick in a dangerous position down the right flank.

"Their left back has pulled on him and if Alex had have gone down he would have got the award no problem but he’s chosen to stay on his feet and should have got around the defender.

"In the end he’s looked for the foul, it’s not been given and the defender has lumped it over our right back.

"The cross has come in and they’ve scored with the header. It was so hard to take.”

The Reds chief was critical in his own decision-making, wondering what else he could have done to have affected the game.

He added: “Reflecting on the game on Saturday and Sunday night I was throwing things around in my mind and perhaps I should have made the substitutions earlier because Jonah and Daniel would have given us fresh legs and renewed energy in forward areas.

"It was a six and two threes situation – do you stick or do you twist?

"But I felt we had them on the ropes so decided to stick with the team that had done so well up until them scoring.

"You can over analyse sometimes but even in defeat there was a positive vibe in the dressing room and I sensed a change within the group.

"It can’t be long before we start converting performances into results and that’s not by the law of averages and our luck changing.

"You make your own luck and we have to be smarter particularly in front of goal.

"We haven’t been making the most of chances when they come along and as you saw on Saturday you only have to take one opportunity to win a tight football match.”

Alport added a new signing before the Bootle match with 18-year-old Daniel Lokko joining until the end of the season from Crewe Alexandr but Burton is still talking to identified targets in a bid to strengthen his squad.

The Winsford game takes place at the Barton Stadium this coming Monday night (7.45pm) and is a re-arranged fixture because of the postponement of the original match an hour before kick-off with a waterlogged pitch.

The Cadstones clubhouse will host a third bingo night on Friday. Eyes down from 7pm with some terrific prizes on offer.

The Whitchurch Herald would like to correct a misleading piece in last week’s edition regarding the floral tribute tied to the gates at Yockings Park for Aaron Millington.

We were informed that Longridge Town had left red and white roses on the gates to the entrance of Yockings Park; it was in fact a private tribute from Alun Schofield and Alan Fitton.

We would like to apologise to Mr Schofield and Mr Fitton for any upset this may have caused.