Kentish Express Ashford & District
LYE TELLS PLAYERS TO STOP PANICKING
Danny Lye is calling on his side to show more patience when the going gets tough.
The Ashford United playerboss was left frustrated by a second successive Southern Counties East League home defeat in midweek against Bearsted – the Maidstone village club where he started his career as a teenager.
It followed the 2-1 reverse against fellow newcomers Sheppey last time out at Homelands and Lye drew comparisons from both losses.
He said: “We have a habit that when we don’t take our chances, we lose our shape.
“Instead of staying patient, we force the issue, panic and then become desperate. Then all of a sudden the other team scores.”
He added: “We are guilty of disrespecting the opposition at times. We are a good side with good players but we have no divine right to score.
“When we don’t – we then don’t do a good enough defensive job in midfield, which is down to a lack of discipline, rather than complacency.”
Lye said assistant and top scorer Shaun Welford could have walked off the pitch on Tuesday with a hatful on another night.
He said: “Shaun went close with a few headers but we can’t rely on one 37-year-old to keep scoring, the other boys have got to chip in as well.”
Tom Michelson opened his United account with a last-kick winner in the 3-2 win at Corinthian on Saturday but was unavailable in midweek.
Lye added: “I have known about that for a long time and we missed him.
“We were good in spells there (at Corinthian) and awful in others.”
Goalkeeper Owen McLeod was forced off late in the game with blurred vision but recovered in time to face Bearsted, while midfielder Micky Phillips is due to have a scan on a knee problem.
Lye has hinted there could be a couple of new signings before the club’s next game at Hollands & Blair on Saturday week. He is waiting on the outcome of two seven-day approaches.
United are without a fixture this weekend as scheduled opponents Sevenoaks Town are on FA Cup duty.
‘Instead of staying patient we force the issue, panic and then become desperate’