Yellow peril: Garforth Town head coach Graham Nicholas admitted that his side’s discipline has been poor recently.
Garforth Town head coach Graham Nicholas says his team will cut out their recent discipline problems, writes James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson).
Garforth have picked 12 yellow cards and two red cards in the last three Toolstation NCEL Premier Division matches.
Six cautions were issued by referee Duncan Carratt in the infamous Pickering Town clash.
David Benton then handed out four and one red card in Saturday’s controversial 2-0 defeat to Armthorpe Welfare – including one to Tawanda Rupere, who was later shown a second yellow card, for pulling up his shin pad.
Two players were yellow carded at Parkgate nine days ago when Curtly Martin-Wyatt was sent off for a high tackle.
Garforth actually finished third in the NCEL Fair Play League for the first five months of the season so the recent incidents are uncharacteristic of the Miners team.
However, Nicholas admits he is unhappy with the card counts for the last three matches and says he has already addressed his players on the issue.
“I think there is a discipline problem at the moment and we’re accountable so we have to change the way we play the game,” he said.
“If we keep possession better then it will be the opposition fouling us. We should be getting the ball down and playing it and not getting involved in spats with other players and things like that.
“I wouldn’t say I’m too concerned. I said my piece to the players after the Armthorpe game and told them they’re accountable. It doesn’t do the club any good because we’ll get fined.
“We have to change our ways because 12 yellow cards is not good. You can say we have had three bad referees, but I’m not. We have to look at ourselves and what I don’t want is us getting a reputation.
“I have a great set of players. They’re all young players and they’re not malicious, they just work hard.
“The players will change because if they’re don’t they won’t play.
“Sometimes though officials have to understand the game and against Armthorpe what disappointed me was that he booked Curtly for walking a few yards with the ball, but two minutes earlier not done anything when one of the Armthorpe deliberately kicked the ball away.”
Garforth Town striker Curtly Martin-Wyatt struggled to break down the Armthorpe Welfare defence on Saturday
Garforth created few chances in the defeat to Armthorpe and Nicholas agreed with the view that his side struggling going forward.
However, he also spoke of his disappointment about how Garforth conceded from a free kick on the edge of the penalty area.
“Before the game I said I was looking for a solid defensive performance and I was pleased at half-time,” he said.
“I then said to take the game to them in the second half, but we didn’t really look like we had anything up top.
“They took their chances and it was a lack of discipline on our part. Players have to be accountable and we have to stop conceding silly free kicks on the edge of the box for a start.
“Then when the free kick is about to be taken we have to be organised. It is another free kick where the goalkeeper has not been ready and this time it wasn’t the official’s fault, it was the keeper’s fault.
“We have to learn from that and put things right.”