BEN Harrison has spoken about how Witton Albion turned a sour ending to their poor pre-season form into an impressive win on the opening day of the new Northern Premier League West season.

Harrison, the club’s former long-serving defender and coach who is interim manager following the departure of Jon Macken and his assistant Steve Atkinson 11 days before the season’s start, could not have asked for a better start to his tenure.

Albion turned a 6-1 home defeat to lower league neighbours 1874 Northwich into a 2-1 home win against 2023/24 play-offs contenders City of Liverpool in the space of 10 days.

“I don’t want to keep harping back to that 1874 game, but it was doom and gloom and we all sensed it,” admitted Harrison.

“We just spoke about taking responsibility of our performance, not worrying about whatever anyone else says.

“I’m not on social media much, and I don’t listen to all that outside noise because it is about what we do.

“And we know, as long as we stick to what we believe and the lads buy into it – which they all have – that’s all we can do.”

Joe Duckworth and Elliot Rokka netted the all-important goals to earn the three points.

Harrison added: “The effort the lads put in is all we ask for and then the performance and win on top of that is a bonus.

“Our mentality has got to be that we can’t sulk, and everyone’s in it together.

“We’re going to get setbacks, that’s football and you always do, but it’s how you respond.

“I did worry going behind after two minutes, that we could go in a shell, but what we did showed the character this squad’s got already and nobody shirks.”

In the circumstances, Harrison was made up with the show of mental strength from his players in the way they dealt with the Purps and the occasion.

“I’m over the moon with the mentality of that performance,” he said.

“I know we’ve not got to get ahead of ourselves and if we’d lost it wouldn’t have been the end of the world and just because we won it doesn’t mean we’re going to go on and win whatever.

“But you enjoy the win because you have to enjoy all these moments in football.

“We know Tuesday night is going to be a totally different game against an organised Kidsgrove Athletic team.”

Harrison said he saw two very different sides to his team in the season opener.

“We went behind after two minutes and I thought ‘what are we doing here’,” he said.

“But then the next 43 minutes of that half we played some of the best football I’ve seen at Witton Albion.

“We played through the lines, we got on the ball, grew into the game and deservedly scored.

“From going a goal behind after two minutes to being 1-1 at half-time we’d take that.

“Then in the second half we showed a different side.

“We didn’t play as well but we battled, we won things in the air, we competed.

“We could have scored a few more, too.”

Harrison said picking his first Witton team and leaving players out was tough.

“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do this week, letting lads down, but I can’t speak highly enough of everyone.”