Ahead of tonight’s clash at home to in-form Maidstone United, we sat down with manager Warren Feeney.
He spoke to us about our main areas for improvement, the importance of “belief” and more…
On Saturday’s loss to Worthing:
It is what it is at the end of the day. What can you do, apart from moving on to the next game?
We competed well, we had Worthing rattled, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the net; that’s probably the story of our season so far. I can’t wave a magic wand, the players have been bottom all season and that’s not good enough, but we have 20 games left that we’ve got to try and win and pick up as many points as we can. Looking at the way we’re losing games, it’s still only by a goal, although we know we need things to turn quickly.
On main areas for improvement:
At the end of the day football is a results-based business, and we need to be better at points in games where teams put us under pressure. That’s where we need to stand stronger.
But I can’t knock the fight of these players. As I’ve said before, I would be worried if they weren’t fighting, but they are.
On Tom Bearwish’s return:
He’s not just a good player, he’s a winner. We’ve missed him and those minutes on Saturday will have done him the world of good. He was disappointed after the final whistle, just like all of us, after he came close to scoring at the end, but having him back on the pitch is a huge plus for us.
On the importance of taking chances:
The players are great kids who listen and learn, and you’ve got to at least be there to miss chances, but now we’re at the point where we need them to go in. Jordon Thompson hit the crossbar, Euan Pollock was tackled at the last minute, Bear had his shot blocked, we’re hoping these instances will turn in our favour. But we’ve got to believe that they will.
On being confident in front of goal:
Scoring goals is down to belief, and I strongly believe that if you score goals in training you can score during a game. We are getting there, we’re trying, and that’s all we can do. Try our hardest.
On how to keep spirits up when the team is down:
Staying positive is just part and parcel of being a manager. You have to keep going and you have to keep believing. It’s not in my nature to give up. My job is to keep the enthusiasm going, and to make sure the players enjoy their football.
On Maidstone United:
They’re a very good side who have just lost for the first time in 19 league games. They’re one of the heavy hitters, but we’re at home and we have to use that to our advantage and enjoy this game. When one of the big boys come down, you have to put on a performance.
On turning our fortunes around:
This season has been disappointing, but we got to a cup final at home last week and now we have to carry that on tonight, and there’s no better game to do that than against one of the best teams in the league.
