Pikes plan return to form

The Pikes crumbled to a 4-1 defeat at Albion Sports in the NCEL Premier division.

Hackworth’s tenure had started with two powerful wins and a penalty shoot-out defeat against Scarborough Athletic in North Riding FA Senior Cup.

The Pikes started superbly with Billy Logan opening the scoring after just five minutes.

Albion eventually ran out winners though, much to the frustration of the new boss.

He said: “We started well and we could have scored a second, if that goes in then it is a different game.

“You can see why Albion do well, they are a big, physical side who get in your face.

“We conceded a sloppy second and then they went on to score four, which flattered them somewhat.

“In the end we ran out of steam a little, but that was always going to happen because we have been playing back-toback games over the past week or so.”

Hackworth now has a few days to prepare his side for a home game against Cleethorpes on Saturday after Tuesday’s fixture at Nostell was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

He added: “The fact that the Nostell game has been called off is something of a blessing for us because it will give us an extra few days.

“Cleethorpes will be another good test for us, but we picked up a good 4-2 victory at their place earlier this season so we will be looking to do exactly the same this time.

“We need to keep going now, it is vital that we get back on track with a win.”