Match Day Programme Sittingbourne v Horsham 6th April 2019

From the Manager
take their foot off the pedal thinking they are
safe from relegation, that they have done
enough for this year. As I have made absolutely
clear from day one 'Average' is not good
enough for me, it never will be.
After such a positive couple of months, we
have been brought back down to earth with
three defeats in a row, two of which we really
should have been looking at a further six
points.
As I have always told the players, in public I will
always defend you, however, in the dressing
room and on the training field I will tell you absolutely
how I feel about your performances.
Against Greenwich Borough, for the 4th game
running we have been slow to start, there are a
number of reasons for this of which we are in
the process of rectifying, needless to say it
wont be the case next season.
We now have five games, including today’s,
remaining, three extremely challenging fixtures
coming up against good teams in the top half of
the table and then two tricky fixtures against
relegation rivals who are fighting for their lives,
none of which will be an easy encounter. So
now, instead of talking about a great turn
around and finishing well within the top ten, we
are challenging to once again pull away from
the rest of the bottom half teams which as it
stands mathematically we need four points
from these five games to be certain of survival.
What a difference two weeks can make in this
league. It shows me every player is only as
good as their last performance.
Having said this I fully believe this team are
more than good enough to resolve this situation
which is of our own making.
On a more positive note, it was great to see
Lex back in action for the first time since his injury
in January, and we welcome Tommy Fagg
back to the fold this week, who will be available
for today’s fixture.
Last Saturday’s disappointment was the final
straw for me in terms of loyalty and giving players
a chance to impress, who really should be.
We have some fantastic footballers here, however,
when one player has an off day most
teams can cover that player, but when several
do at the same time, the problem becomes unsurmountable.
I felt we were not good enough
in all areas on Saturday against a bottom of the
table team who did not have much quality within
their set up, it said it all when the opposition
fielded a 40 year old veteran against us. But
yet, we showed a real lack of desire and determination.
Our work rate and desire is a basic foundation
of my teams. The players have all been spoken
to and my feelings have been made absolutely
clear. I believe, this young squad who are still
learning important elements of football at this
level, have been too naive of late. After six wins
from seven they seem to think its acceptable to
Injury news - I was very disappointed with the
conditions of the pitch at Greenwich, holes everywhere
some outlandishly dangerous, with attempts
to cover them up with sand, it was only
a matter of time before someone got seriously
injured, I am furious the game was even allowed
to continue due to it's condition. This led
to Lewis Chambers damaging ankle ligaments
and now out for the remainder of the season
having fallen badly into one of them.
I would like to thank the travelling fans and I
personally apologise for the display you witnessed
last Saturday. Ultimately, as the Manager,
I have to take full responsibility. We will
be seeking to put this poor run of performances
behind us and get back to our usual standards.
Chris Lynch