Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Jason Dodsworth expects Handsworth to significantly improve on the defensive front.
Dodsworth and Aiden Spowage have brought in Rob Ludlam and long-serving Stocksbridge Park Steels captain Liam McFadyen recently.
Dodsworth believes they will make a big difference as Handsworth – who host Emley this afternoon – look to get back to a winning run of form.
“It is a tough league and if you’re not at it you’re going to get punished,” Dodsworth told Non League Yorkshire.
“We haven’t been at it, we haven’t been good enough and the lads know that.
“We have a couple of bad results and then a win.
“We think we have turned the corner and we have another bad one.
“We’re taking it one game at a time until the end of the season.
“We know we have the quality and players who can hurt teams and score goals, it has been stopping goals that have been the problem.
“I think you saw on Saturday with the centre-halves, full-back and the goalkeeper that we are a lot stronger.
“I thought Fads was brilliant.
“I’m 100% confident we will improve defensively and things will turn.
“These lads are too good for it not to turn round.”
Handsworth were a sound bet at the beginning of the season to mount a title bid.
But erratic form since November has de-railed their hopes and left in seventh and arguably out of the race for the top two.
“It has been a terrible shame,” Dodsworth said.
“We had to look at what went wrong.
“We lost Ben Townsend, Ben Teasdale and Sam Smith to long-term injury and that’s our spine straight down the middle.
“That would affect any team.
“It is not simple as going out and replacing them.
“You’re trusting what you have got and some of the performances weren’t up to standard and that’s why we weren’t winning games.”
Dodsworth, however, remains hopeful the top five is in reach.
“I’ve said I want to finish in the top five and that’s my own aim, not the club’s,” he said.
“I think we are good enough to do it.
“If we don’t, we don’t.
“We have spoken to the club last week and we know what we have to do going forward.”