Collingwood remains patient as Red Star wait to get off the mark

Seaham Red Star boss Mark Collingwood has called for patience as his side look for their first league win of the season.

Red Star got their campaign underway with draws against Newcastle Benfield, Whickham and Northallerton Town before suffering back-to-back defeats against top-three contenders North Shields and Consett.

Things will not get any easier for Collingwood and his new-look side when FA Vase finalists Hebburn Town visit the Ferguson Motor Repairs Stadium on Saturday looking for a third consecutive league victory. But the Red Star boss retains a realistic view on where his side are at after a summer of change at the club.

The departures of the likes of Dan Wilson and Anthony Myers left Collingwood to mould a much-changed squad and that continued this week when wingers Nathan Greenwood and Sean McRoberts both returned to Red Star.

Collingwood insisted that it will take time for his squad to settle into the campaign as they prepare for a tough challenge against promotion contenders Hebburn.

He told The Echo: “By the end of the weekend, we will have played Hebburn, Consett, North Shields and an in-form Whickham and

Northallerton Town.

“Then there was Newcastle Benfield away on the first day of the season, which is never an easy place to go. We drew three of those games and looking back I don’t know if they were two good points.

“I think playing Hebburn, Consett and North Shields is basically playing three sides that will be in the top six.

“We are a new team; I don’t know what our best side or formation is at the moment.

“It will take time to find where we are at and we will need to be patient. There is still some room for improvement, my eyes are open, but I am confident that we can still have a positive season.”

C o l l i n g w o o d w i l l h ave wingers Nathan Greenwood and Sean McRoberts available after they returned to the club earlier this week.

However, he has a number of injury concerns with Scott Young (knee), David Henderson (calf ) and Jason Blackburn (hamstring).

Elsewhere, Stockton Town and West Auckland Town will both look to bounce back from midweek defeats when they face each other at the Map Group UK Stadium.

Newcastle Benfield will be without midfielder Jack Cooper for the trip to FA Vase finalists Consett.