Cray Valley PM’s unbeaten League record went last weekend, but manager Steve McKimm insists his side can get back to winning ways this weekend.
In a crazy game with Three Bridges where the Sussex side had a man sent off and then score twice to edge a nine-goal thriller in stoppage time, Cray’s unbeaten run came to and end.
KSN has been talking to boss Steve McKimm about the game and how he’s looking for his side to bounce back immediately this weekend.
“We were confident that we could go through the League season unbeaten,” Mckimm admitted to us, “You must have a little bit of confidence, a bit of arrogance about yourselves… We had gone twenty-six games – that is two thirds of the season without a League defeat, and we thought that we could take it on.”
“Unfortunately, fundamental errors cost us keeping the record intact culminating in us losing our first game!”
McKimm then explained the timeline in the 5-4 Three Bridges win. “We started well and went one nil up; let them back into it which they took advantage of to lead at half time.”
“Second half we came out on the front foot and scored three goals in seven minutes – in the ascendancy and really doing well!”
“Then we conceded a goal twelve minutes from time and as a manager and management team, we looked at ourselves and maybe in hindsight, which is a great thing, maybe we could have gone more defensive to keep the 4-2, but that has not been us all season and will not be us!”
“We changed players like for like and ultimately made a few errors and they scored and punished us.”
“I was asked after the game if the result meant more to Three Bridges because they have taken our record? No – Three Bridges came here to win a game of football and they went away winning a game of football.”
“What we have got to do is, after twenty-six games, I am not going to go round and smash the players left, right and centre as they have been fantastic.”
“If you would have said to any team, any manager, or any Club if you lose your first game at the beginning of March would you be happy? Of course, everyone would be!”
“We had a bad few minutes at the office and we now start again!”
And that restart sees Valley make the short trip to Park View Road to face an Erith & Belvedere side desperate for points at the table’s foot.
“They need the points – they have a new manager whose brought in new players and have picked up a few good results recently!”
“No game is easy in this League whether you play top or bottom and we must be on it for ninety minutes this week rather than the eighty-five we were last weekend to get something out of the game!”
“Never be disappointed,” McKimm went on, “never be disappointed in what you’ve done so far – we’ve been chasing Ramsgate and other teams that were up there from the start of the season because of the Cup runs and the games in hand, and we got to the top – albeit for a short spell and we’ve got eleven games to go to try and regain that.”
“I’ve said from day one that come April 27th, you are where you deserve to be, and at this moment in time we deserve to be second because we didn’t fulfil what we should have done on Saturday which culminated in a defeat whilst Ramsgate went and won which puts them back top of the table.”
“They deserve to be where they are at the moment, we deserve to be where we are and likewise all the way through the table.”