Hughes wants Boro to kick-start away form at Radcliffe

Athletic go into Saturday’s Evo-Stik League division one North game in desperate need of a win and Hughes said: “We are expecting a positive response from the lads and we really need to improve on our away form. We’ll go to Radcliffe hoping for a clean sheet and a good result.”

Scarborough have conceded 14 goals in their last five games, and Hughes said: “We always create chances but we’ve got to do better at the back. We want the back four to be a unit and we’re trying to instill a clean sheet mentality at the club.

“We want to be hard to beat and if we can get a positive result on Saturday we’ll kick on from there, our away form isn’t the best and hopefully we can start improving that at Radcliffe.”

Boro have a host of players on the sidelines through injury but Hughes insisted a few names could make a return to the squad ahead of the trip to Radcliffe.

He said: “Defender Steve Ridley could be back in the side for the trip and we’re 50/50 on Paul Robson so we’ll assess him before kick-off.”

Hughes said: “New signing Dean Lisles could be in the starting X1 depending on the injuries, he will definitely be in the squad and we know he will be a physical presence at the back. He’s a good height and can be a great presence in the team.”

Following a lot of changes at the club over the past week, the joint-manager felt it was important to address the club’s loyal supporters: “We can only ask them to keep supporting us. They’ve given us a great response and have stuck with us through a difficult time.

“There’s been a lot of change and this have been up in the air, not only for the players on the pitch but also off the pitch and Paul and I hope to help settle things down.”

The two managers had their contracts extended until the new year earlier in the week and Hughes expressed his delight: “We’re very happy and believe that the timeframe given to us gives us a better chance of bringing consistency to the club.”