Sometimes you've got to go back to basics and win ugly, says Beckenham Town boss Jason Huntley

BECKENHAM TOWN boss Jason Huntley says he wants to go back to basics to end their disappointing run of form.

Beckenham Town have slumped into the bottom two in the Southern Counties East Football League having collected one win and one draw from their opening eight games.

Huntley’s side suffered a 3-0 home defeat to unbeaten Erith Town at Eden Park Avenue on Tuesday night.

The Dockers had former Chelmsford City keeper Tom Warren red-carded for a professional foul outside of the penalty box after sixteen minutes and substitute keeper Daniel Clark – fresh from a spell playing in Cyprus – pulled off a string of brilliant saves to frustrate Huntley.

At the other end, two goals from Rikki Cable – taking his goalscoring tally to nine for the season – and a James Holder header – saw fierce rivals Erith Town grab a 3-0 win.

Huntley explained the two club’s fierce rivalry.

He said: “It goes back a long while. Something happened before I was here with the kit and we don’t like them and they don’t like us I suppose but I wasn’t about then but I know other people involved in the club still are. It’s one of those things you have in football.”

Erith Town manager Mark Tompkins, who oversaw his side’s fifth league win in seven games that took them up to second place in the table – one point behind Phoenix Sports, but with two games in hand - admitted afterwards that Beckenham Town were the best side his team have faced this season.

Huntley added: “I’ll tell you the truth now, he’s not the only one to have said that!”

Beckenham Town hope to get their season back on track when they welcome Haywards Heath Town to Eden Park Avenue in The FA Carlsberg Vase Second Qualifying Round.

Haywards Heath play one level lower than Beckenham and go into the game sitting in sixth-place in the Sussex County League Second Division, with a 50% record from six games.

“It will be interesting,” said Huntley.  “If we don’t go switched on with the right attitude it will be a tough game for us but we’ll get into them and get their minds right for Saturday.

“If we play like we played on Tuesday, I don’t think we’ll have any problems.”

Huntley says he may change his side’s philosophy on their immaculate Eden Park Avenue playing surface to turn their season around.

“Just a win will do,” said Huntley.  “I said to the boys’ you can’t keep saying to people you’re unlucky.  At the end of the day if you’re conceding goals and getting beat you’re not unlucky – you’re doing something wrong!

“The table doesn’t lie. You’ve got to start winning ugly, forget about the nice football. It’s lovely to play football but it don’t win you nothing playing football all the time. Sometimes you’ve got to go back to basics and win ugly.  Play bad, win 1-0, you take three points.

“It’s hard to say that when you’ve got a team, individually are very, very good on the ball and when we do click – we murdered Erith Town. It so easily could have been five or six nil to us if we scored the first goal.”

Huntley urges his strike force to get their goalscoring boots back on.

“Jamie Humphries has only just signed two weeks’ ago. He’ll be alright Jamie. He will get goals. He just needs to get that first one and he’ll be flying.

“Alfie Nunn scored a hat-trick last week.

“We’ve got goals in the team. We create many chances but we’re missing easy chances at the moment. We’re not getting the rub of the green if you like.”

Visit Beckenham Town’s website: www.beckenhamtownfc.co.uk

Beckenham Town  v  Haywards Heath Town
The FA Carlsberg Vase Second Qualifying Round
Saturday 21^st September 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL