Bury Town manager Cole Skuse turns back to his beliefs to get Blues firing again ahead of home game with Redbridge
After posting back-to-back wins with a 7-2 success at lowly Enfield on Sunday, Cole Skuse has revealed how his Bury Town side have got themselves ‘back on track’.
The excellent result, adding to a 4-0 home success against Walthamstow two weeks previously, has left the Blues 10th in the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division table and seven points off the play-offs with a game in hand.
It came off the back of a worrying run of five defeats in six in all competitions, ending with a 6-2 home defeat to Basildon United.
But ahead of hosting 14th-placed Redbridge at the OCS Ram Meadow Stadium tomorrow (3pm) before a rearranged trip to current ninth-placed Maldon & Tiptree on Tuesday (7.45pm) manager Skuse revealed he had accepted responsibility for the run and found a way to turn back the clock.
He said: "Before the Maldon game (abandoned on November 18) I had an open and honest chat with the players telling them this is where I'm at and this is what I'm thinking with how I want things to look and do things.
"We started the season well and then I we came away from my beliefs a little bit and the way I wanted things to look and how I wanted to do things with the nice atmosphere I want to create for the players to come and play in.
“I don't know if it was naivety on my behalf of being a new manager or a couple of bad results and you start to over-think things and listen to too many opinions.
"Now we've got back to it and I think the result on Sunday is a mirror of that and the performance alongside it was exceptional.”
He added: "I wouldn't say it's turning a corner, it's more about getting back on track and carrying on our positive start to the season.”
Ryan Jolland opened the scoring for Bury on Sunday by rounding the keeper from a sublime throughball in the 30th minute.
Frankie Franz quickly capitalised on poor defending to equalise but goals from Olie Yun and Luke Brown, both from crosses that were not cleared, in quick succession late in the half gave Bury a 3-1 lead heading into the break.
Jolland clipped a Cemal Ramadan pass over the keeper in the 53rd minute and then completed his hat-trick with sumptuous strike a few minutes later, firing back a defensive header back on the half volley from outside the area into the roof of the net.
Former Lakenheath striker Tom Thulborn came on for his debut and marked it by laying the ball across the box for Ramadan to make it 6-1 in the 65th minute.
Recent Bury signing Charlie Beckwith saved a penalty from Adam Vyse before Ramadan completed Bury’s tally on 78 with an audacious lob from around 30 yards out, having spotted the keeper off his line.
Enfield grabbed themselves a second consolation goal on 84 minutes through Luke Clark.
The game marked home-grown player Jolland’s first goals of the season having worked his way through some injury issues over the last year.
Skue said: “All three of his goals were unbelievable goals but also his performance to go with it, especially as he’s playing a relatively new position at left wing-back, and he’s doing it with ease.
“We’ve managed to get him some help with his issues he’s had and he’s stuck to his programme and is now reaping the rewards.”
Captain Ollie Fenn has been missing from the last two squads after suffering from a bout of illness with Josh Curry carrying the captain’s armband, but is back in contention for tomorrow.