Bognor told: Be ruthless - be streetwise

Saturday’s home clash with Kingstonian, which finished 1-1, was their seventh draw in 14 league games.

And although they sit tenth and only four points off third place, coach Blake feels they could and should have won four of the games that have finished all-square. With the eight extra points that would have brought, they’d be second in the table.

Blake stressed the Rocks’ young squad were doing many good things and were learning all the time, but he said he wanted them to focus on the factors that were stopping them winning more games.

“We’ve only lost two games in the league but we’ve drawn too many. I can think of four games we should have won but didn’t. I’m happy with where we are but should we have had more points? 100 per cent,” he told us.

“We have a lot of young players in the team, many in their first season at this level, and we can’t ask for much more. But we are giving away too many goals from unexpected loss of possession, rather than through being pressed.”

Blake feels his side’s tally of 23 goals in those 14 games is reasonable, although the Kingstonian game was a classic case of being made to pay scoring only one when on top.

Bognor failed to add to James Crane’s early penalty and Ks levelled late on. Blake said: “They couldn’t have complained if we’d been 3-0 up at half-time. But in the second half we started to play in a way we don’t want. We dropped too deep and have got to be braver. We’ve got young forwards who are doing really well in their first seasons here. But we need to be more ruthless and more streetwise.”

It’s a cup week ahead of the Rocks as they travel to play Truro (at Plymouth Parkway FC) in the FA Trophy on Sunday, then go to East Grinstead in the Sussex Senior Cup on Tuesday.

Blake said: “They’re both competitions we want to do well in.”

The Grinstead match means the league game at home to Corinthian Casuals has been put back to December 7.

* The supporters’ club are running coaches to both games. Sunday’s trip starts at 8.30am, Tuesday’s at 5.45pm. To book seats, call Dave Robinson on 07876 497929.