Howell hails heroes at both ends as Bognor Regis Town hunt for consistency
Jake Lawrence has proved to be a vital addition to the Rocks camp with the striker hitting two goals in three games since his arrival at Nyewood Lane on loan from Dorking Wanderers.
And manager Jamie Howell has revealed he sought an appraisal of the striker from former Rocks goal-getter and Dorking team-mate Alfie Rutherford as to Lawrence's prowess in front of goal.
The attacker's goals have proved essential to Howell's men staying clear of the dreaded drop zone – they are in 11th spot but all of the teams below them have games in hand.
The 19-year-old former AFC Wimbledon hitman's goal in the 1-0 win at home to Southall in the Isthmian South Central division earned an indispensable three points.
Livewire Lawrence will again be in the hunt for goals when the Rocks go to fourth-from-bottom Kingstonian on Saturday and he will do so with an endorsement from Howell.
He told Rocks Radio: "Jake has been excellent, he's a goal scorer. I spoke to Alfie Rutherford about him and he said he was a really good player and we are thankful to Dorking for letting us have him. We spoke to Jake at half-time about aspects of the game…holding the ball up.
"I thought in the first half our ball retention when the ball went in to the front three was not as good as it could have been -- but given half a chance he will score goals for you and we need to play to his strengths.”
Another standout player in the victory over Southall was Dan Lincoln who made a crucial penalty save and a follow-up block just before the break to keep Bognor in the game.
His heroics weren’t lost on Howell, who added: “Dan’s penalty save was brilliant at a really crucial time for us. It was a pivotal moment in the game. If they scored then our confidence would have been low.
“Overall it’s a massive three points given the form we have had which has been poor. We worked hard in training all week but the first half wasn't great, disjointed -- and sometimes you find out more about your players when things aren't going so well.
"Second half I thought the lads showed desire, commitment and we got closer to Southall and put them under a bit of pressure and that's where the goal came from and gave us a vital three points.”
Meanwhile, Casey Bartlett-Scott, signed recently from Fareham Town, has left the Rocks as Howell welcomes players such as Tommy Block, Harvey Whyte and Lee Seok-Jae back from injury.