WINGER Scott Metcalfe says Warrington Town’s new style of play means he is enjoying life under manager Paul Carden.

The former Southport boss arrived at Cantilever Park in October following the departure of Stuart Mellish and Lee Smith.

Metcalfe, who has been a key performer on the left flank for Yellows, says Carden has encouraged him and the squad’s other wide men to express themselves.

“Paul has come in and changed things for the better,” he said.

“He’s asked us to get the ball down and play at a faster tempo, which suits me down to the ground.

“We’re enjoying his style as a group, and I think it’s showing on the pitch despite our inconsistent results.

“Performances have been much better, and we’re creating more chances.

“He wants us playing on the floor rather than just hitting long balls up the pitch all the time.

“He’s just told me to go out and express myself and not worry too much about losing possession.”

Carden has also highlighted his desire to improve the fitness of Town’s players, and Metcalfe believes that work has started to pay dividend.

“We’ve been working hard on our fitness in training,” he said.

“We do a lot of running on a Tuesday and a bit more ball work on Thursday, but we are running a lot.

“As a group we’re certainly looking and feeling a lot fitter and we’ve seen examples of that on the pitch when we’ve gone deep into games.”

Despite playing a different way, Town’s inconsistent season has continued and they sit just outside the play-off places in the Northern Premier League’s top flight.

Games against sides higher up the table have yielded better performances, but Carden has highlighted a habit of dropping points against sides lower down the table.

Metcalfe admits the squad are struggling to put their finger on why inconsistency has riddled their season.

“We are a close group of lads and we prepare for every game in exactly the same way,” he said.

“If anything, we think games against sides at the bottom will be harder because they’re fighting for their lives.

“There’s certainly no complacency among us; it’s just a really difficult thing to pinpoint and explain, but we’re working hard to put it right.”

The 28-year-old was an unused substitute during Town’s 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Sutton Coldfield on Saturday, a result that moved them to within a point of Hednesford in fifth position.

However many Yellows fans have been impressed with his form this season after a summer that saw him briefly leave the club.

Metcalfe says it was never his intention to walk away but now he is back, he says it is “difficult to say” whether or not he is playing his best football.

“We just couldn’t get anything agreed at first – that was why I left initially,” he said.

“I never wanted to go; it was just a case of finding the right agreement and I was only too happy to come back.

“The team has been inconsistent, so it’s difficult to say how well I’ve been playing but I’m happy fans seem to be enjoying my performances.”