Davies admits he’s ‘kicking himself’ after Havant loss
Slough Town FC: Boss felt he should have changed shape after Rebels failed to capitalise on strong start
Slough Town manager Scott Davies admitted this week he was kicking himself after the Rebels suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to relegation threatened Havant & Waterlooville and lost ground in the race for a play-off finish.
The Rebels had been in excellent form coming into the clash on the south coast, picking up a satisfactory and hard-earned 1-1 draw at promotion contenders Braintree Town to make it six games unbeaten in the National League South.
But they've tended to slip up when it's least expected and they did so again at Havant, failing to capitalise on the first half lead that was given to them by David Ogbonna.
The Rebels dominated the first half and deservedly led at the break when loan signing Trae Cook-Appiah crossed for Ogbonna to tap home a minute before the interval.
However, they failed to build on that advantage, with Davies saying the hosts managed to 'find energy' in the second half as the visitors laboured to an unexpected and damaging defeat.
Havant didn't trail for long after the interval with Joe McCarthy levelling matters in the 53rd before Callum Kealy flicked the ball past Dan Lincoln shortly after the hour mark to make it 2-1. Despite playing poorly in the second half, the Rebels still created several chances to take something from the contest, with Nathan Minhas and Dan Bayliss both seeing goal bound efforts cleared off the line within a few seconds of each other with around 10 minutes to play.
Had one of those gone in the Rebels would likely have extended their unbeaten league run, however, it wasn't to be, and Davies and his players must lick their wounds ahead of a tough looking home game against leaders Yeovil Town on Saturday.
“They found energy which we didn't find,” Davies told Connor McNeish in a post-match interview for Sloughtownfc.net. “I'm kicking myself a lot because I said at half-time, I thought we needed to change the shape and go to a 4-4-1-1, just to cover areas and spaces out wide. But they got too much of the ball in wide areas. I wish I'd have changed it, and I take responsibility for it.
“But while I take responsibility, and I've made them aware of that, I also don't think enough people turned up tonight in terms of playing to their strengths. I don't think many of them were on par tonight or above that. I think they were below par, and when that is the case, often you come unstuck. We were up against a team that looked like they were fighting for their lives, they worked harder than us, but the two goals we conceded were naive. We could have avoided those.
“We had our own chances as well, as they did when we had to go and chase the game, but it's hugely disappointing. I think people would have expected us to win because of where we are in the league and where they are, but they're no mugs. They're a full-time outfit with good players and their recent record here has been very good.
“I knew it was going to be difficult, but the gut feeling right now is horrible because I knew there was an opportunity tonight to close the gap.”
He added: “We also need to realise how far we've come, we've done brilliantly this season, but when the playoffs are in sight and you've got an opportunity and a chance, you do get your hopes up.”
The Rebels remain 10th in the table after Tuesday's results but are now seven points adrift of seventh-placed Bath City having played the same number of games.
“We had five of the bottom seven left to play and that was one of them,” said Davies. “And we know the other four will be just as hard as playing Yeovil on Saturday. We're not kidding ourselves that we've got an easy run in, these games are going to be tricky and difficult. People will say we've missed opportunities against your Dovers and your Havants, but at the same time, we've picked up points when people haven't expected us to, that's football.”
Yeovil look set to claim the National League South title in the coming weeks, but their form in recent matches hasn't been imperious, with the side losing to Welling United and Chippenham in successive matches.
“They are another side that shouldn't be anywhere near this league given the resources they have,” said Davies.
“It's a big test for us, and we usually turn up against the big sides when no one expects us to get anything. I expect a reaction from the boys, and I can't wait for Saturday now.”