We certainly need to improve our quality in the final third as it’s been abysmal recently but the players don’t become poor overnight, says Canterbury City boss Ben Smith

CANTERBURY CITY boss Ben Smith says a win in The FA Vase tomorrow will lift spirits within his camp.

Canterbury City are in the top four in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table with 11 points in the bag from their opening six league outings.

They host Combined Counties League Premier Division side Sutton Common Rovers tomorrow in The Buildbase FA Vase First Qualifying Round.

The two sides met in The FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, with Sutton Common Rovers winning 2-0 on that occasion on 5 August.

“The FA Vase tomorrow is a nice distraction to be fair," said Smith.

"We have a tough tie against Sutton Common Rovers, who are by far the strongest side we’ve played this season so there’s no real pressure and we should relish the opportunity to cause an upset against them.

“A win would do wonders to the belief in the squad and really lift the mood at the minute.”

Reflecting on their current league form, which has seen them lose 3-1 at home to Deal Town, draw Rusthall 2-2 away and lose 1-0 at Hollands & Blair, Smith said: “To be honest we’ve been poor in the last couple of games and luckily have found something from somewhere to get something out of the games, which is not something we’ve been very good at in the past, so we’ve got to take some positives from that.

“We certainly need to improve our quality in the final third as it’s been abysmal recently but the players don’t become poor overnight. 

“It’s our job to get that belief and confidence back into their systems.  When we can get that right we should really kick on.

“We still haven’t found the right balance in the side yet and that can happen when you have new players to gel into the team.

“We’re six games in so there’s certainly no panicking going on.”

Visit Canterbury City’s website:  www.pitchero.com/clubs/canterburycityfc

Canterbury City  v  Sutton Common Rovers
The Buildbase FA Vase First Qualifying Round
Saturday 9th September 2017
Kick Off 3:00pm
The Charles Sports Ground, St Leonards Road, Deal, Kent CT14 9AU