I can't make any changes, admits frustrated Lovell - EXCLUSIVE

Sittingbourne boss Steve Lovell admits he cannot make any changes for Tuesday night’s Ryman League Division One South home clash with Eastbourne Town, writes Stephen McCartney.

Woeful defending from the Brickies gifted Kingstonian all five of their goals on a shocking Sunday at Kingsmeadow.

K’s striker, Bobby Traynor, who plays wide on the left and cuts inside at every opportunity, did the damage as he took his tally for the season to eight, by scoring four goals.

But Sittingbourne capitulated during the second half, shipping four goals during the last 23 minutes, bringing back bad memories of their FA Cup exit at home to Dartford when Tony Burman’s side scored four of their five goals in 21 minutes at the end of the first half of the first qualifying round replay.

Just like that game, Sittingbourne striker Bradley Spice netted from the penalty spot, but instead of a late consolation against the Darts, Spice actually brought Sittingbourne back on level terms at Kingsmeadow after 52 minutes.

Lovell was without Lee Hockey (foot), Anthony Allman (hamstring), Toby Ashmore (holiday), Sabeur Trabelsi (Tunisia), and goalkeepers Josh Willis (knee) and James Reily (work commitments) at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, and admits his hands are tied for the visit of struggling Eastbourne Town.

“They’re a good side these (Kingstonian), and I thought if we came away with something today, a point is a good result,” Lovell said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“But for most of the game I thought that we might have done that, but the last quarter of an hour, when we’ve given them four goals, is absolutely ridiculous.”

Lovell criticised defender James Campbell as his 72^nd minute blunder, when he tripped and missed a header from a clearance from K’s goalkeeper Luke Garrard, let in Traynor to score his second, after the striker opened the scoring when he beat Steve Williams from six-yards after no-one tracked his run into the box, following a low cross from left-back Nick Rundell after just eight minutes.

“You can’t do that to any team. Defenders are there to defend and if they can’t defend there’s no point being in the team, so it’s something that I’ll have to look at,” blasted Lovell.

When asked about making changes for the visit of Eastbourne Town, Lovell explained: “I haven’t got anybody! I’d love to make changes but I can’t. I haven’t got anybody to put in there.

“So they’ll have to go out there on Tuesday and defend like they’ve done for most of the season so far.

“They have done well defensively, we haven’t conceded that many goals but the mistakes they’ve made, cost the price.”

After their FA Cup defeat to Dartford, Sittingbourne did bounce back and clinched a 1-0 win at Chipstead in their next game, and Lovell wants the same positive response.

“It’s only one game,” he said. “I’m not going to get too carried away with it but I’ve got to let people known that they’ve got to defend properly if we want to stay up with the front boys then they’ve got to defend a lot better than that.

“It’s something that we’ve got to do, we’ve got to work on, and keep striving for, but the only thing we can do is keep trying.

“If they try their hardest and it’s not good enough then things might have to change - but they’ve done well for most of the season.

“So one performance like this I’m not going to get too carried away with, so I’ll give them another go on Tuesday and hopefully they’ll respond better.

“I think every managers hands are tired a little bit because you’ve got to play the players that you’ve got.

“You have to do what you can, play with what’s there, and make it work. Today we didn’t make it work, so hopefully Tuesday, we will.

Things got worse for Sittingbourne as goalkeeper Steve Williams called for the ball when Dean Lodge whipped in a 78^th minute free-kick, didn’t collect and Saheed Sankoh netted his seventh goal of the season, stabbing home from close range.

Three turned to four just 53 seconds later when Traynor drilled home his hat-trick, and he completed the rout with five minutes remaining with a screamer.

Lovell said: “All I’m thinking is what happened here today and in the last quarter of an hour because up until the 75^th minute, I was quite pleased.

“The second goal’s a killer. You’ve just scored a penalty, you’re on the front foot, and they had no way out. It looked like we could go on.

I said to (my new assistant manager) Lee (Richmond), “we could go on and nick this” but when that happens, a mistake at the back like that (James Campbell‘s blunder), it kills everybody and to concede another the game’s over.”

Visit Sittingbourne’s website: www.sittingbournefc.co.co.uk

Sittingbourne v Eastbourne Town
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 16^th October 2007
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Bourne Park, Central Park Stadium, Eurolink, Church Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3SB