WE have got to improve on the Burscough performance - there's no doubt about that.

Enough opportunites were created to get something out of the game but they were the better side on the day and deserved the three points.

There were reasons I had at the time for approaching the referee after the game but it wasn't to slate him about his performance.

I was pretty upset by what happened after Rapinder Gill was sent off. The linesman gave the decision from 50 yards away.

The referee didn't give it, that was the only reason I was speaking to him and I think I had every right to ask him the question why. If it looked more than that, it wasn't, otherwise I would have been reported.

I was just asking the question because we have lost a defender for a game and we already have Chris Smith and Shabir Khan out.

I wanted to see if there was any appeal process because the lad who went down said afterwards he dived. There is an appeal process but only if there is video evidence, which we don't have.

The referee's not going to change his mind, but he can take into account the evidence of the player, he could put it in his report. Once he's done his report, you can't do anything.

I also mentioned one or two things brought to my attention during the game by the players but those will remain behind closed doors.

We have got big games to come against Kettering and Telford and, like I said at the end of the match on Saturday, it wasn't the ref's fault we lost, that wasn't why I approa-ched him. I was trying to get the decision overturned.

The Hinckley result and performance were encouraging but we didn't play with the same drive and energy at Burscough. We didn't start right in the first-half an hour and just didn't look to have as much energy as we did ag-ainst Hinckley - although if we had taken one of our early chances it might have been a different game.

The team has the ability to produce performances, which was the same last year, but we are not doing it on a consistent basis.

I think that's probably down to not having the personnel week-in, week-out. Ryan Clarke is playing out of position at the back, as is Danny Hodnett. They are going to have good games and games when they get found out because it's not their position.

They are doing a good job for us and there's no criticism of them so I can't get too down about it or be too critical of the team.

If we are still conceding goals when Chris and Shabir return then it will be a cause for concern.

But we're struggling at set-pieces because those are ab-out individual battles and we have to win those. We have conceded three goals from set-pieces so far this season.