Butler calls on senior players to step up

A rusty Mullets side returned to action after exactly a month without a game on Tuesday but went down at Chichester to a Peter Hibbert double.

With their pitch underwater and their training facilities closed during Christmas, Butler felt Chichester, having played on Saturday, had an extra yard on his players.

He said: “The conditions weren’t conducive to playing good football and we told them not to try too much, the result was the important thing and to play to our strengths.

“Some senior players need to accept they are not playing Sunday football. We need to man up and realise we are playing senior football. People are paying to come and watch and that sort of performance is not acceptable.

“They know we are in a dog fight and we need to knuckle down quickly and, by that, I mean our next game.

“I think we are united and together and at least we are creating chances, but we have to stop those little mistakes.”

Hibbert scored right on the stroke of half-time after sloppy marking from a set-piece and profited from the same situation with 12 minutes remaining.