Buxton boss Gary Hayward urges side to turn draws into wins

The unbeaten Bucks have won five and drawn five of their ten games so far, two of the draws coming in the last two games against Morpeth last Saturday (2-2) and a goalless encounter at Gainsborough on Tuesday night.

And despite being pleased his side remain hard to beat, Hayward feels that needs to be reflected more with victories.

He said: “We’re not being beaten, yet we’re beating ourselves in some ways.

"We’re not penetrating enough and getting the ball in the box. Against Gainsborough we had all the play and probably only got two crosses into the box, which isn’t good enough.

"Admittedly, we had the ball in the net from a corner and it was disallowed for offside but we don’t really know why.

"We didn’t do enough though and it’s something we need to work on.

"Against Morpeth we scored twice but it’s two errors that have cost us for their goals.

"So we’ll have a chat in training and see what we can do to improve things.”

Buxton now take another break from league action as they travel to face City of Liverpool in the FA Cup third qualifying round on Saturday.

Their hosts, who play in the NPL Division One West, knocked the Bucks out of the FA Trophy last season and Hayward knows a tough test lies in wait.

He said: “We’ll be in their back yard and they’ll make things difficult for us.

"They beat us in the Trophy last season – I was in hospital at the time but they did well and won it with a last minute worldy.

"So as with the other ties so far we can’t take things for granted."

The Bucks are scheduled to host Whitby Town in the league next Tuesday, although should either side require FA Cup replays – Whitby travelling to York City on Saturday – that match will be postponed.

Hayward added that injuries continue to play a part in team selection, saying: “We may have to bring one or two new faces in if we can. James Hurst came back at Gainsborough but Ben Turner is still missing and one or two others still have knocks.”