28 AUGUST 2007

I think we have to be realistic about Saturday and learn the lesson from that game. Getting the team prepared for tonight started in the changing room on Saturday, but it wasn't a case of Lloyd and myself going beserk, but pointing out the problems and hopefully learning from them.

For the first 20mins on Saturday I felt we gave a good account of ourselves and I think they had just one chance before the sending off. But with the free-kick going straight in from the foul, heads just dropped and against a team like Chelmsford you will get punished. We made the changes to then try and defend what was already a difficult positon but rather than defending in two banks of four the players ended up chasing the ball and leaving huge gaps.

Had it not been for the sending off, I believe our game plan of using the two wide men would have given us half a chance of getting something from the game. Hegley and Martin gave us those attacking options and we know this position suits Andy Martin, as it's a position he has played in, in the Premier League, at Crystal Palace. However that was not to be the case and instead we had to make changes to that plan and bring on more defensive players.

So it's a question of picking up the players for tonights game. What we have to be is positive and ensure we impose our strengths on Carshalton. That means getting back the team spirit and the work rate that got us promoted last season. That means the players working for each other on the pitch. If we can get that back and play to our strengths then we can turn around this poor start.