Staying up would make this a good season and we need to keep battling
For 89 minutes on Tuesday night it looked as though our slump might come to an end.
We were 1-0 up at home to Staines at half-time – the first time we had led a game since our last victory, against Tonbridge, three months ago.
I couldn’t have asked for anything more in the first half, everything was spot on.
Staines didn’t look like scoring but then they got a goal out of nothing early in the second half.
It was such a soft one, a very easy ball into the box to deal with. None of their players got a touch to it, none of ours got a touch to it, not even the keeper, and it went in. It really left me scratching my head.
We were close to a point but then Staines scored a winner in the 90th minute.
Half of the boys were saying their lad was offside but for me it was the first goal that was the vital one because you don’t want to give them a chance to gain impetus.
Two individual errors have cost us. It doesn’t matter how much preparation you do with the boys, you can’t legislate for that.
It is a shame because on Saturday at Ebbsfleet we put in a very good performance, albeit in a losing cause.
Their manager, Steve Brown, said to us afterwards it was one of the few times this season he had looked at his watch and prayed for the whistle to blow.
It was a strong display against one of the biggest clubs in the league. It shows what this squad is capable of.
There’s plenty of talent in our dressing room – anyone would be wondering why we’re in the position we’re in. We just need to cut out the lapses of concentration.
We have signed two players this week. Pat Cox has come in from Fleet Town. He’s only 24, but will give us something a little bit different up front. We also brought in Freddie Ladapo on loan from Kidderminster Harriers.
He is best friends with Kudus Oyenuga, who was with the club last season. Kudus had mentioned him a while ago and when I found out he was available we were keen to bring him in.
With Gary Whild having just come in as manager at Kidderminster, he wanted Freddie to get some football and alerted me to his availability.
We gave him his debut against Staines. It was his first competitive match in a few weeks but hopefully that workout will do him a lot of good.
Normally we would train on Thursday in preparation for the game on Saturday.
But just 48 hours after playing Staines, we’ve got to go to Bishop’s Stortford and then we’ll be hosting Concord Rangers at Kingfield less than 48 hours after that.
Some players will be fatigued and some will have had the mental stuffing knocked out of them after Tuesday. But we have to go again and start winning games sooner rather than later.
I’ve been writing my programme notes for Saturday and it’s difficult to know how to convey the work we’re putting in behind the scenes when you’re not getting the results on the pitch.
Training, when we’ve been able to have it, has been excellent but supporters obviously want to see us winning games.
We’re on a bad run but I’ve got to pick everyone up and try to improve our position in the table.
If Hayes & Yeading stay in the Conference South after just avoiding relegation last season then that’s a good season.
Some people may have wanted a go at the play-offs after the start we made but this league is driven by finances.
I was talking to a Ryman Premier manager earlier whose side are challenging for the play-offs.
He was telling me how he was under pressure and having to scrabble around for money to try and keep up with the sides spending big in that division.
But they’re winning games and at the right end of the table – I’d love that kind of pressure!
The next point is vital – whether it’s one point or three, we will take whatever we can get.
No-one is going to give us points, we’ve got to earn them. But if you work hard for points, you will be rewarded.
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