STRUGGLING Colne need experience to boost their survival challenge, says boss John Lister.

With an average age of just 18, the NWCL Division Two side have struggled to make an impact this season, and lie third from bottom of the league.

But Lister says his players have the skill, all they need is experience. "I am on the look-out for one or two older players," he said. "The young lads are doing well but their confidence is suffering.

"At first the confidence was sky-high because they had never played at that level before, but after a few consecutive defeats -- and heavy defeats at that -- the confidence just goes."

Lister has signed Mark Hesketh, 23, from Lancashire League side Fleetwood ahead of tomorrow's game at Bootle, who are also struggling at the wrong end of the table.

Lister's problems arose when he took over from Denzil Hart just weeks into the new season. "A lot of the players were from outside the area and I didn't think they were good enough anyway," said Lister. "They started to drift away so I needed players."

Lister works as a coach at Lancashire FA and decided to ask the best young players there to join the club. "The kids there go to college but train full-time too," said Lister. "They are players who didn't get taken on as trainees but who we feel may still have a second chance at making it.

"They are head and shoulders above the teams they play at their own age but aren't quite physically ready for the North West Counties."

The players in question are goalkeeper Andy Moore, Ben Callom, Leon O'Neill, Chris McKay, Mark Berry, Craig Newby, who are all 17, and 16-year-old Matthew Aspinall. "They are good players but they can't carry on like this. It will ruin them."