FC IoM manager confident of turnaround ahead of Colne trip

Ravens head to Lancashire after four defeats in last five outings

FC Isle of Man's manager insists better results will come ahead of their latest test in the NWCFL Premier Division this weekend.

'The Ravens' head to Colne on Saturday (31 August) on a run of four defeats in their last five and already 12 points off the top of the table after seven matches.

However, Paul Jones is adamant his side's performances have been better than recent scorelines suggest.

He thinks it's only a matter of time before their fortunes turn in the right direction if they continue to trust in the process:

Along with a lack of results on their travels this month, another trend which has been cause for concern for FC Isle of Man is finding themselves on the back foot early on in games.

Paul Jones' side have conceded in the opening ten minutes in all of their last five clashes.

However, the Island team face a Colne outfit who they beat in the last meeting between the two sides on 12 April during the last campaign.

That day saw a Jack McVey penalty and a Charlie Higgins strike secure a 2-0 win for FC Isle of Man, avenging a 2-0 defeat to their Lancashire hosts at The Bowl in Douglas in the reverse fixture on 22 December, 2023.

Like the Manx side, Colne have found the early stages of this campaign challenging, winning just one of their seven league matches to date.

However, they're on a three-match unbeaten run in all competitions - two wins and a draw - with their most recent outing a 1-1 stalemate in the league at Pilkington.

Colne vs FC Isle of Man takes place at the Haffners Stadium this Saturday (31 August) kicking-off at 3pm.

FC Isle of Man Team News

Paul Jones makes four changes from the squad which slumped to a late 2-1 defeat at Stockport Town on Bank Holiday Monday (26 August).

It's understood some of the selection decisions are based around allowing certain players to get match time in the Isle of Man leagues which begin this weekend.

Experienced defenders Alex Maitland and Jamie Corlett are ushered back in whilst Ryan Burns and Ethan Hawley drop out.

Elsewhere, youngster Harley Jackson and striker Luke Booth also make way - Ben Wosser is reintroduced whilst there's a first squad appearance for youngster Josh Kennaugh.

FC Isle of Man squad vs Colne

Adam Killey (GK), Adam Adebiyi, Sam Baines, Jamie Corlett, Sean Doyle, Danny Gerrard, Charlie Higgins, Josh Kennaugh, Alex Maitland, Ronan McDonnell, Jack McVey, Dean Pinnington, Callum Sherry, Kyle Watson, Ste Whitley, Ben Wosser