Boss Jamie Milligan demands better from Bamber Bridge

Bamber Bridge boss Jamie Milligan is looking for an improvement in performance from his side when they host Radcliffe on Saturday.
Sheldon GreenSheldon Green
Sheldon Green

Brig only narrowly defeated lowly Buxton at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium last weekend.

Richie Allen gave Brig a great start by handing them the lead in the fifth minute.

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But the visitors equalised through Nico de Girolamo on the stroke of half-time, and home goalkeeper Danny Roccia was required to make several key saves to maintain parity. It appeared the game was heading for a draw until Sheldon Green’s late strike ensured Milligan’s men collected all three points.

Milligan said: “The first five to 10 minutes we started off brilliantly.

“We passed the ball quickly and switched it quickly because they were playing narrow in the first half.

“Just after that we just got a bit complacent and stopped doing what we were doing, and they got back into it.”

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Brig are in home action again this weekend when they take on managerless Radcliffe, a side they defeated 4-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this month. Fylde loanee Green opened the scoring in the first half, before strikes from Allen, Matt Dudley and Joe Booth.

It would prove to be the penultimate game in charge for ex-Preston North End striker Jon Macken, who left Radcliffe two weeks later.

And Milligan has warned his side that Radcliffe will be out to avenge that result. He said: “They’re going to be 
after us, after the way we played against them at their place.

“They’re going to have a new manager so they are going to be at it and after us.

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“We need to be better than (against Buxton) if we’re going to get a result.”

A victory could see Brig move as high as 11th in the NPL Premier Division table. They sit in third in the 10-game form table, with six league wins over that period, four of those coming since Milligan took charge in December.

Elsewhere, AFC Fylde are away to Chesterfield looking to ease their relegation worries in the National League.

The Coasters, who are three points shy of safety in the bottom four, do have games in hand on all of their rivals at the bottom of the table.

Southport visit Gloucester City in the National League North. The Sandgrounders are 12th but only two points off the play-offs.

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