Assistant manager Mark Smitheringale believes Garforth Town’s slump in form is related to injuries to key personnel.
Garforth’s magnificent opening August has been followed by a bad start to September because of three straight defeats – two in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division (to Silsden and then Liversedge) and one in the FA Vase (to Sunderland Ryhope).
But look closer and an injury crisis in defence has caused a lot of Garforth’s problems as their heavyweight players such as captain marvel James Beaston have been on the treatment table.
“I was talking to the chairman and I said to him that we need to get some of our more experienced players back in from injury,” Smitheringale told Non League Yorkshire.
“We need a few more leaders on the pitch. We need to look at who else we need to bring.
“There was a lot of young lads in our team against Sunderland when you look through it.
“The Silsden game was a car crash. Silsden are a very good side and in truth with the way they ripped us apart, it knocked our confidence with some of the younger lads.
“I felt Liversedge were a good side, but again we contributed to our own downfall. We conceded three goals which were very soft.
“This is on the back to the start of the season we had where we looked pretty solid at the back.
“Dan Coupland got injured in the warm-up before the Sunderland game and he didn’t think he could play, but we begged him to give us an hour.
“Beaston has obviously been injured for a while. Mike Morris is away. Danny Buttle was ill last week so yeah there is a few players missing at the moment and it is these players who give us that experience.
“Alongside that, you have to appreciate as a consequence of these injuries, we have people playing in the wrong positions. They’re not in their natural positions.
“Lee Turner has played the last four games as a centre-half and he’s a centre-forward or a midfielder.”
A trip to Albion Sports tomorrow represents a good opportunity to return to winning ways, but Smitheringale has warned against complacency.
“It is a winnable game and I think in the league this year, it is very evenly matched,” he said.
“We have seen already that teams are picking up points in games where they are not expected to.
“You look at Silsden two weeks ago. They smashed us and then gone to Barton and got beat.
“No game is no easy in this league.”