Manchester 41 Winnington Park 7

WINNINGTON Park’s players must improve their attitude, according to coach Roger Pickering.

His side suffered a fourth successive defeat on Saturday, slipping into the table’s bottom two as a result.

“The result suggests a gulf between the teams in terms of their ability,” he said.

“But it wasn’t anything like that – they simply wanted to perform more than we did.

“We were poor, with too many not producing anywhere near the standard they are capable of. That’s down to attitude.”

Park handed debuts to Jarrod Pickering and Alex Snasdell, a reward for their performances with the second team this term.

And the visitors started promisingly, with their forwards applying pressure and assuming control.

However their best moments were all in midfield, so the threat to Manchester’s defensive line was minimal.

The hosts were more clinical, establishing an early lead with a try and penalty.

When Winnington’s attacks did reach promising positions, they too often made bad decisions that meant opportunities to score went astray.

Another converted score from the home team put them 15-0 ahead.

Park did not improve after the interval.

Instead, flimsy defending was punished by Manchester who continued to dominate.

Even when the hosts were temporarily reduced to 13 men, Park toiled to make their numerical advantage count.

They did score one try through Jack Williams, who added a conversion, when he danced through depleted ranks to touch down.

It was not the catalyst for a comeback.

Pickering rued: “We looked in disarray at times.

“That was when we needed individuals to step up and lead from the front, but didn’t happen.”

New Brighton, fifth in South Lancs/Cheshire Division One after winning three of their five matches, visit Burrows Hill this weekend.