FC Isle of Man hoping to revive fortunes at Kendal Town

Paul Jones says squad must 'keep believing' results will improve

FC Isle of Man face a tough battle to overturn their recent run of poor form when they travel to face Kendal Town in the NWCFL Premier Division tomorrow (4 February).

The Ravens are currently on a run of four straight defeats, and lost to their upcoming opponents at The Bowl on 7 January.

The Island side's interim manager, Paul Jones, says the players' response in training to last week's 4-1 loss at home to Squires Gate has been excellent.

Speaking to Manx Radio, Jones says he and his squad have to 'keep believing' results will improve in the coming weeks:

Going into this weekend, FC Isle of Man hold the unwanted title of having the worst record in the division over the last six games (one win, five defeats).

Last weekend's loss made it the first time this season the Ravens have failed to pick up any points over a four-game period.

As a result, FC Isle of Man currently sit 19th out of 22 sides in the NWCFL Premier Division, four points above the relegation zone.

However, the Manx side's recent form on the road may be cause for encouragement.

They've won their last two when on their travels, both by 1-0 scorelines, at Barnoldswick Town (3 December, 2022) and Avro (28 December, 2022).

Furthermore, in their last five away fixtures they've claimed seven points from a possible 15 (two wins, one draw and two losses).

Meanwhile, their opponents on Saturday, Kendal Town, have continued their strong form in the NWCFL Premier Division which has seen them move up to 15th in the table.

Since 'The Mintcakes' 3-1 victory over the Island side last month, they've lost just once in their last five outings - a 5-0 away defeat at AFC Liverpool.

Over their last two fixtures against New Mills in the Macron Cup and Appleby in the Westmoreland Senior Cup, they've hit seven goals without conceding.

Kendal Town vs FC Isle of Man takes place at the Parkside Road Stadium on Saturday, 4 February, kicking-off at 1pm.

FC ISLE OF MAN TEAM NEWS

After picking up injuries in last week's defeat, Sean Doyle and Ryan Burns drop out - however Karl Clark who also experienced an issue during the last outing has been passed fit and will travel to Cumbria.

Furo Davies returns to the squad this weekend after having to drop out late on for the last fixture after tweaking a neck muscle.

Elsewhere, lively young midfielder, Charlie Higgins - the last man to score away from home for the Ravens - also returns to the fold.

FC Isle of Man squad vs Kendal Town

Ben Wilkinson, Karl Clark, Jacob Crook, Phil Kelly, Alex Maitland, Eoghain Sherrard, Tiernan Garvey, Charlie Higgins, Frank Jones, Ronan McDonnell, Jack McVey, Kyle Watson, Ste Whitley, Michael Williams, Tom Creer, Furo Davies