Market Drayton boss to wheel and deal in search for much-needed points
Market Drayton boss Matt Johnson has admitted he is going to have to go back into the transfer market in a bid to pull the club out of Northern One West trouble.
Johnson enjoyed a 1-1 draw in one of his early games as Drayton boss but heavy back-to-back defeats have put them back in deep trouble.
They suffered a 4-0 loss to Trafford on Saturday and Johnson has said new personnel is going to be needed to add to the raft of new additions he has already brought in.
“It’s really difficult, I feel for the players, as soon as they go down 1-0 – the couple of players I inherited have been losing every week – to shut off that mentality of ‘1-0 down here we go again’ is very difficult to do. I get that,” said Johnson. “We were positive early in the second half but an individual error makes it 2-0, and when that happens we start to fade a little, and then fitness comes in, it’s the same scenario, chasing the game and fitness tells.
“Chasing a game with intensity is so difficult because of fitness. It was a very similar scenario to the Widnes game (5-0 defeat) – and it’s a Trafford side in the play-offs.
“I’m looking at it thinking ‘we’re on top here’, but when a team has that more quality and you give them half a chance they take it.
“I take responsibility for the Widnes game on my shoulders, for formation tweaks, I could’ve said damage limitation at 2-0, but what’s the point?
“But I’m afraid now that’s not the case. Individual errors are individual errors.
“You can dress it up as much as you want, say ‘we did this’ or ‘we did that’,but you get to a point where, unfortunately, if the personnel in place aren’t good enough, or don’t want to take the manager’s instruction for any reason, then it’s as simple as personnel need to change.
“I didn’t want to go back into the market but it looks as though I will do, probably the loan market, we’re in discussions.”
Drayton head to Marine tomorrow. And he insists it was always going to be difficult to see a rapid improvement in his struggling side.
He added: “I’ve had to start again, I’ve had to try to build a dressing room, some morale, some spirit off the pitch.
“It has been created but it’s very difficult to do when you’re when you’re bottom of the league, conceding goals and having to bring players in.
“But I must say it has been created and is still there, I’m very conscious that I could go to Port Vale or Shrewsbury or Stoke and get a load of (young) lads (on loan) and see what happens, but that’s very difficult to manage and not enjoyable at all.
“It’s not like we’re a couple of points off survival, we’re a million miles away, we’ll try to do it but in the right way.
“Everything I’ve put in place is the right standards, the training ethos, we’re doing it the right way, but unfortunately it just takes time which you can’t do in three-and-a-half weeks.
“Going away to Marine isn’t ideal, but the positive is I’ve got a full week of training, two sessions to get some running in us, get a bit of fun and build on some shape. I’d rather a week of training, I’ve got some good full weeks now coming up of Tuesday-Thursday sessions to get some fitness in.” Shifnal Town and Haughmond both hit the road in the Midland Premier tomorrow – Town to second-placed AFC Wulfrunians and Mond to Racing Club Warwick – while Whitchurch Alport host Stourport Swifts.
Shawbury United will be hoping to build on their midweek win over AFC Bridgnorth when they travel to Paget Rangers in Midland One, but Bridgnorth are now in a 10-day break after that 2-0 defeat.
Ellesmere Rangers visit Sandbach United in North West Counties League Division One South, while rock-bottom St Martins don’t have a game.
