JAMIE Mottershead has hailed Bradley West’s conversion to a striker and predicts he will continue to improve.

A double for Knutsford in a 3-2 win at home to Whaley Bridge last weekend increased the former midfielder’s goal tally for the campaign to 10 in 11 appearances.

That’s more than anybody else in the Cheshire League’s Premier Division.

“He’s thinks like a forward,” said the co-manager.

“When we were awarded a penalty in the last-minute on Saturday he ran straight to where the ball was and picked it up.

“There was no debate to be had over who was going to take it.”

West’s nerve held, and he secured only a third win to date for the champions.

It leaves them 10th in the table with a third of the campaign completed.

Gone are almost all of the players that helped to deliver a historic double for the Manchester Road club last term and their replacements – many of them members of Reds’ second team that won back-to-back Reserves Division titles – are still adjusting to life at a higher level.

Another test of their progress follows on Saturday when they travel to promoted Middlewich Town, kick-off 3pm.

The Witches were 3-2 victors when the sides met last month.

Mottershead said: “We’ve seen a bit of everything in our games so far and we’re probably where we expected to be [in the table].

“It’s fair to say we probably should have more points, and four of our five defeats have been by the odd goal.

“If there is a criticism, it’s that opponents aren’t having to work hard enough to score against us.

“That’s an area we need to improve.”

However there has been promise further up the field, where West has shone.

To put his transformation in context, he scored 10 goals in total for Knutsford A in the two years before this one.

He has only completed 90 minutes once this time around, and a decision by Mottershead and Jordan Gunter not to withdraw him last weekend was rewarded with that late spot-kick.

“Brad’s ability has never been in doubt,” added the former.

“He’s one of those players that’s never really found his place in the side, but maybe he has now.

“He’s focused on scoring goals, and he was the one that told us he’s top of the charts after full-time on Saturday!”