JOHN Barton has urged his sharpshooters to hone their predatory skills and it's clear to see why after a good half's work at Weston last night was undone by wayward finishing.

The partnership of Mark Owen and Leon Kelly has produced the rather meagre return of four goals in eight matches.

That figure can be blamed in part on the patchy start to the season by a side struggling to find consistency but there have been enough chances for the duo to up their tally.

Last night was one such instance. The pair were in impressive form, particularly in the first half, but for all Kelly's exciting running and some neat link-up work by Owen, they still trudged off empty handed.

Both should have scored last night, as indeed should Adam Wilde and Adam Webster who spurned more than half decent chances.

It's Owen and Kelly though who bare the responsibility for keeping the 'goals for' column ticking over and they will have replayed last night's match over and over on the homeward journey.

Kelly is a fascinating player to watch, blessed with pace, the physique of a boxer and a selfish streak that all good goalscorers have.

However Kelly could do worse than pick up a few tips from his strike partner Owen who has added awareness to his game, illustrated perfectly when he squared for Kelly to score against Havant in the opening match of the season.

Kelly had the opportunity to reciprocate last night but having created a chance out of absolutely nothing, perhaps understandably, went for glory from an impossible angle instead of squaring to Owen.

That miss returned to haunt City when Mark McKeaver's fluke goal looped over a stranded Danny McDonnell.

"To be fair to Leon I think he lost his head a bit," said Barton. "In the past we've been critical of Mark Owen in those sort of situations but he's improved as he showed in creating the goal against Havant, and Leon just needs to add a bit of composure and awareness to his game."

On the positive side David Holmes and Pat Lyons returned to action last night, while Barton's decision to play David Foy added some cohesion to the middle of the park which led to much better build-up play.

Paul Carty, whose hamstring tightened after his return against Moor Green, is hopeful of being available for Saturday's clash with Tiverton at St George's Lane.