Self-inflicted goals are hurting Bognor - and have to stop

Rocks manager Jack Pearce is desperate for his players to cut out the unforced errors that are stopping his side from winning.
Bognor press Wingate and Finchley in last week's 2-2 draw / Picture: Trevor StaffBognor press Wingate and Finchley in last week's 2-2 draw / Picture: Trevor Staff
Bognor press Wingate and Finchley in last week's 2-2 draw / Picture: Trevor Staff

At home to Wingate & Finchley on Saturday, for the third time this season, Bognor had to come from 2-0 down to grab a 2-2 draw.

It was Bognor’s fifth draw in eight in the league – another day when the team’s defensive frailties cost them the chance of three points.

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Pearce is frustrated and says all they can do is continue to work hard on the training ground and drum into the players the need to defend more solidly – with their tendency to give the ball away in their own half the most worrying trend.

Rocks fans celebrate the late turnaround / Picture: Lyn PhillipsRocks fans celebrate the late turnaround / Picture: Lyn Phillips
Rocks fans celebrate the late turnaround / Picture: Lyn Phillips

The draw left the Rocks 12th and their hopes of a midweek win at home to struggling Leatherhead were dashed when the Tanners hastily called the game off when the league gave sides permission to cancel travel plans over the fuel shortage.

The Rocks will instead look for an improvement when they go to Brightlingsea Regent on Saturday.

Pearce told us: “If you’re going to keep conceding two goals a game, you’re going to find it very difficult to win games, because scoring three is not easy.

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“The main reason for us not having about five more points than we have is goals that are totally self-inflicted goals

“To our credit, we have come back from 2-0 down to draw three times, but it’s all lost points.

“I can understand players making mistakes and when mistakes are made when they’re trying to play to the right principles, I don’t have much of a problem with it. But if they’re making mistakes when they’re not playing as they’ve been asked, that’s frustrating. We are making too many errors when we’re not under pressure.”

Bognor are not short of experienced defenders, although Pearce stressed that the whole side had to play their part in defensive work.

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Meanwhile the club expressed their frustration over Leatherhead calling off Tuesday’s game, which would have come three days after the Tanners lost 7-0 at Bishop’s Stortford. Pearce said: “I was quite surprised that within four minutes of the announcement (that games could be called off) Leatherhead made that decision. In my day if we couldn’t get to a game by car we’d have to get on the train!”

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