CHIPPENHAM Town manager Mike Cook says there is no quick fix to the Bluebirds’ problems after their 1-1 draw at Dulwich Hamlet last weekend saw the club drop into the relegation zone.

A 94th minute equaliser for home team Dulwich ensured Cook would not get off to the dream start in charge, and with other lowly side picking up key victories, Chippenham slipped into the bottom three for the first time this campaign.

Dominance in the first half was not turned into goals the Bluebirds deserved, according to Cook, and there may be more similar performances in the coming weeks as the new manager bridges the gap between old habits and new ideas.

He said: “It’s going to take six or seven weeks to get our patterns of play across to the players, both in and out of possession, so there is no quick fix.

“You’re just hoping that you can pick some points and confidence up as you go along.

“When I saved Gloucester City (from relegation), we were not confident of completing the job until the last game of the season.

“But it’s all the other results that go with it. We had a good result on Saturday, and we still found ourselves dropping down the league.

“But there’s a long way to go, I’ve only had one game and two training sessions.

“We’re still working out who is good enough to go into this relegation battle and who’s not.”

While injuries are beginning to return and there are no further suspensions to worry about, Cook has highlighted several positions that need altering for the squad to have a balance about it.

The former Gloucester city man has already admitted he found it challenging to fit all of the club’s five strikers into the team last weekend, with David Pratt filling in on the right side of midfield.

Not that Pratt complained however, and Cook praised his experienced forward for giving the team an alternative attacking focus without complaining.

He said: “Unfortunately, we’ve got five centre forwards and you’re never going to be able to fit them all in the team.

“They don’t really want to play as a winger, so we’re asking people like David Pratt to be a winger for us against Dulwich, but I’ve got to say, I felt he did really well.

“It was his cross that we scored from and he played like an inverted winger, so he was cutting in from his right and crossing, but I also want him to shoot because he’s an excellent finisher.

“I don’t see any terrible, terrible weaknesses with us, but there are areas all over the pitch where we can make small improvements.”