Wounded animals fight back, warns Seager

ASHFORD TOWN boss Steve Lovell will be making changes for their home Kentish derby with Whitstable Town tomorrow, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Welshman admits his side have not got going, having collected four points from their opening three Ryman League Division One South games of the season.

They began their campaign with a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Walton Casuals last weekend before winning 4-3 at newly promoted side Crowborough Athletic in midweek, before crashing back down to earth with a 2-0 defeat at Godalming Town yesterday.

“Out of the three games, we’ve played well in half a game and that’s it - and that was Crowborough away in the second half, “ Lovell told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We just haven’t started yet. I’ve been very disappointed, I can’t put my finger on it - it’s not happening at the moment.

“There’s only three games gone in the season. I think a lot of people get carried away, there’s 42 games in the season and it takes time to start the season to know what your best eleven is.

“Pre season friendlies are all well and good but when you get into the league games you start finding out about your team.”

Lovell has challenged his team to cope with new surroundings, having failed to get to grips with pitch sizes at both Crowborough and Godalming.

And he said: “I’m happy with everybody I’ve got in my squad, it’s just circumstances of the first three games have been so different.

“The first game against Walton Casuals was a very typical first game of the season.

“I hate making excuses but our pitch, the grass was miles too long, that stopped us passing the ball around like we like to.

“Crowborough away, we played against a very physical side, on a postage stamp of a pitch - it was tiny.

“And it shows yesterday, they drew 4-4 with Fleet. Crowborough are a very difficult side to beat on their own patch but we played particularly well in the second half there.

“And yesterday against Godalming, on a same kind of situation, on a small, bumpy pitch.

“Jamie (Reilly) our keeper, only had two or three shots all game but we can’t afford to give teams goal starts.

“Even in the first half we started very well, could have gone one or two up with a couple of chances but they broke and got a goal and gives their team a lift.

“Although we had a majority of possession in the game we couldn’t get past their keeper, who was man-of-the-match.

“We had much of the play, but couldn’t get the goals we needed.”

Lovell bumped into Whitstable Town’s manager Marc Seager in their local newspaper shop in Rainham earlier today and both are desperate to win tomorrow’s derby game at The Homelands.

Seager’s weekend was ruined as his side were thumped 4-0 at home by Burgess Hill Town yesterday and the pair exchanged views on their side’s poor performances.

Lovell said: “I’ve spoken to Marc earlier on, I saw him up the local newspaper shop as he only lives 100 yards away from me and we were talking about our games yesterday and the two games had the same kind of ending and same sort of reflection.

“But it’s healthy for managers to be upset about their team’s performance because it shows that we’re passionate and we want to do well.

“Since I arrived at Ashford in November, where the club was in a bit of a hole, there’s been a change of mental attitude and there’s an anticipation of success.

“So the way that people are thinking at the moment, they want success along the line and it’s a positive thought and is one that is echoed by myself and all the players.

“But we want to produce performances that supporters can see that we’re pushing for success.”

Striker Mark Lovell, the manager’s son, is expected to be out for around four months, after tearing a cruciate ligament in his left knee.

“It’s not a rapture, that was quite important it wasn’t that and he’s got to rest for six weeks and the surgeon has said he’ll be back on the field playing in four months,” said the manager.

Steve said his son Mark is an electrician and hopes changes in team personnel tomorrow will spark Ashford Town into life.

“I’ve got no team selection worries because the team that I started with on Saturday didn’t produce what I wanted them to produce so it makes it easy for me to change the team the way I want to change it,” said Lovell.

Lovell also said things could have been a lot worse.

“It’s better having four points than having no points from three games,” he said. “But to be fair our season hasn’t started yet as far as I’m concerned.

“We’ve got four points so to take four points and not be happy with what we’re doing so far is a plus.

“As soon as we get moving on all cylinders, I think we’ll be fine.”

For Whitstable Town boss, Marc Seager, seeing that his side were defeated 4-0 by Burgess Hill Town in the newspaper didn’t make good reading.

The Oystermen are currently fifth-bottom in the table, but their performance against the Hillians was unacceptable.

“I am very proud to be manager of Whitstable Town, but believe me that defeat really hurt, the players, myself and my management team, all of us are like a wounded animal after a defeat like that,” Seager told www.whitstabletownfc.co.uk.

“As a manager you never set out your stall to play poorly, we always have a game plan. The players know what is excepted of them but today we all let ourselves down.

“We let the club, the supporters, and just as importantly, we let ourselves down and failed to reach the standards expected of us.

“If I was a supporter who paid eight quit to watch us today, I would not be very happy believe me, but we will bounce back.

“Look, everyone has a bad day at the office now and then and we just have to put this to one side and get back to how we know we can play.

“Some of the supporters, the very same ones, who were saying we were the best things since sliced bread when we went unbeaten for a spell of ten games at the end of last season, those same supporters now say we are rubbish.

“At the end of the game there were some supporters who vented their frustration, the same supporters who clapped us of the pitch four days earlier when we beat one of the favourites to win the league, enough said.

“One game, in this case a defeat, doesn’t make or ruin a club at this early stage in the league campaign.

“I will be looking to put this right and I accept that as the manger I have to look at myself and analyse what I am doing wrong.

“I am still early in my managerial career but want to improve in the long run.

“As hard as I am hurting now, I will learn from a day like today but I will just add that wounded animals have a peculiar habit of biting back when you think they are finished, and we are far, far from finishing.”

Visit Ashford Town’s website:  www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk

Visit Whitstable Town’s website: www.whitstabletownfc.co.uk

Ashford Town v Whitstable Town
Ryman League Division One South
Bank Holiday Monday, 25^th August 2008
Kick Off 3:00pm
At The Homelands, Ashford Road, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent TN26 1NJ