‘Be more resilient’ - Lewes FC boss reflects as miserable away run continues
Manager Craig Nelson said his Lewes side need to be “more resilient” away from home after suffering a 3-0 defeat at Billericay Town.
The loss was the Rooks’ third on the road this calendar year, which represents a clear contrast to a run of three straight home wins.
Without Charlie Walker or Arezki Hamouchene, the Rooks also lacked threat in attack against their Essex hosts.
“Billericay thoroughly deserved the win,” said Nelson.
“They showed good intent to go forwards. But we made too many errors that allowed them to capitalise.
The result continued Lewes’ lean goalscoring record of late, having netted just four goals across six matches since a 4-1 win at Dulwich Hamlet.
As Nelson explained, forwards Danny Bassett, Bobby Unwin and Devonte West struggled at their play-off-chasing hosts.
“The intent to go and score, for me, was low,” said Nelson.
“We got into some great areas, and we need to make sure we get more bodies in the box.”
“Every time we tried to play through them and they nicked it, they beared down on our goal, so we need to learn from those moments.”
Despite conceding three times, Lewes’ worst moment of the afternoon was left for the end, with goalkeeper Louis Rogers sent off in added time.
Video footage since released on Lewes’ social media pages appears to show Rogers heading the ball, rather than handling it outside the box, and the club today (THurs) confirmed their appeal against the decision had been upheld.
Speaking after the match, Nelson said: “I don’t know how [the referee] has missed it. He’s decided to side with his lino, who gave handball. Louis is adamant that it hit his head.”
After a tough run on the road, Lewes can take heart that three home matches await in the next week.
They will, however, be learning from their recent experiences.
Nelson said: “[The players] have shown before that they can do really well. It’s about gaining that consistency, and making sure we stay in the fight as long as possible.
“Away from home, it’s harder to do that, but we’ve got to be a bit more resilient when we’re away.”
The Rooks - ten points above the drop zone and ten points below the play-offs - will try to gather more points at home to league leaders Folkestone Invicta this Saturday.
They then face Billericay in a quick reverse fixture on Tuesday night (7:45pm kick-off).