Blake: Rocks must eradicate individual errors to get results

The Rocks followed up their 3-0 loss at Worthing with a 2-0 defeat at home to Carshalton Athletic on Saturday, with two first half goals preventing them from claiming their first home win of the season.

Despite a Carshalton red card in the 70th minute, Bognor couldn’t find a response, leaving Blake frustrated.

He said: “I thought we started the game quite bright to be honest and then it wasn’t so much brilliance from Carshalton, but the ball’s ended up in the back of our net, which was frustrating.

“Once they got the goal it knocked the stuffing out of us a little bit. We did improve in the second half but didn’t put Carshalton under as much pressure as we would have liked.”

Former Burnley player Blake admitted he was desperate for his side to get the next goal, but it just ‘wasn’t meant to be’ on the day as his side didn’t test the visiting ‘keeper enough.

He continued: “If we score the next goal it becomes an even game, even at 2-1, because goals change games. The momentum can switch pretty quickly and I said that to the players.

“We needed to change some things and we needed to get some momentum on our side, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Bognor sit 18th in the BetVictor Premier Division having won just one of their opening five games, and assistant manager Blake admitted he is ‘bothered’ by the current form of his side.

He said: “I don’t want to be 18th after five games. I don’t want to be eighth after five games. I’d like to be higher but you can’t have everything. I am bothered but there’s a lot of points to play for and a lot of games to go.

“With the group of players we have, if we make one or two additions, I’ve got every confidence that we’ll be in the top half of the league come Christmas. Nothing that I’ve seen in five games has made me believe otherwise.”

He continued: “When you’re losing back to back defeats in the manner that we are, it has to be a concern. But we’re five games in. You win back to back league games and you’re back in the mix.”

Blake blamed individual errors for the Rocks’ third defeat in five games, but is increasingly confident that they will become less common and the form will turn around, with low confidence currently ‘affecting the whole team.’

He said: “Sloppy goals and individual errors are costing us dearly and I think it’s cost us a lot of confidence as well. It’s affecting the whole team at the minute and as soon as we can eradicate those errors, you’ll see a different team.”

He added: “We’ve got a really young team at the minute and they haven’t got the experience that certain teams have at this level.

“A lot of the younger players at the moment are learning the hard way and eventually they’ll be a lot stronger both mentally and physically.”

Bognor continue their BetVictor Premier Division campaign with a trip to East Thurrock on September 14 following an FA Cup first qualifying round clash with Sittingbourne this weekend, where they will be hoping for their first home win of the season to kick-start their campaign.