Linby target home double after winning run is halted

But boss Lewis Saxby believes it is only a temporary set-back and that his side can now bounce back with two more home wins on the trot against bottom three sides.

Linby, who had won five and drawn one of their previous six, went down to a first half penalty and Saxby said: “We probably feel a little hard done by in terms of what happened.

“We got beaten by a penalty and we felt we probably should have had two of our own.

“We’ve been on a good spin of four wins and that comes to an end, but we are in decent nick and it’s not dented us too much as we still did all right.

“It was a tight game. I don’t think we did enough to win the game and I don’t think we necessarily deserved to lose it. One mistake has cost us a point away from home.

“But we’ll move on. We’ve got a young side and we will kick on. We’ve got two games now that we feel are winnable, both at home.

“We’ve only lost one game at home all year. So if we can pick up six points from the next two games we’ll be in the top five.”

Linby struggled for a while early in the season, but Saxby put the recent improvement down to finally getting a settled side.

“We had a hard run of seven games in August when everyone else seemed to have two or three,” he said.

“Injuries didn’t help, plus it was the middle of the holiday season.

“Getting a regular side was probably the turning point as much as anything.

“And we have had hard games. In August we played Hucknall, Eastwood, Selston, Sherwood – all sides that are going to be top three or four in the league.”

Linby now take on Matlock Town Reserves this Saturday (3pm), hoping for better new on the injury front at the back.

“We have four or five injuries and we are down to bare bones in terms of our defenders,” said Saxby.

“We lost a centre half on Friday night against South Normanton, my left back is out with a bad back and we were already missing a centre half on Friday, though we are hoping he might be back on Saturday. He is still touch and go.”

The Notts FA Senior Cup second round draw this week has handed Linby an away tie at unbeaten Notts Senior League form side Awsworth Villa, to be played week commencing 5th November.

“To be honest I don’t really know much about them, but I know they’ve been on a good run themselves,” said Saxby.

“They have started the season well and I know the sides in the NSL are stronger than they used to be.

“It will be a tough game and it’s away from home. But we will go there with confidence, especially if we win the next two games leading into it, we’d fancy our chances.

“There are not too many teams at this level that we don’t fancy our chances against when we are at full strength.

“Hopefully we’ll get into the next round. Then the bigger sides start coming in and we’d like a decent side at home to get some money into the club.”