CN: Lee, we slipped to a 2-1 defeat here at Basford United this afternoon. A close game in the end after a strong finish from the Nailers, how did you see it?

LA: Bang even first half, same as Wellingborough, don't defend one long straight ball. I didn't sort out our defence for the goal at Wellingborough because I thought I'd keep it in-house but same one ball beats us, unforgivable defending, giving teams a leg up.

I can't keep standing in front of the camera and saying we're playing alright because we've done alright today but both boxes, decisive moments, we're not doing alright.

Second half, one-way traffic in terms of us attacking, attacking, attacking but after we've conceded a shambolic goal one minute after half-time. One ball goes wide, squared across the box, basic bit of play and lads on the six-yard box are attacking. We've got two centre-halves either side of him.

Yeah, not good enough and this night, like always, I take responsibility. It's my team, I built it, all the rest of it. But the drop-off in levels for a couple of our so-called senior players.

You know, you look today, I've gone for a senior back four. From the situation we're in, we need some experience. We've gone for as much experience on the pitch as we can.

I know we commit school-boy offences and it's my fault for not starting Tom. Should have started him at left-back, I know I should have. And as soon as he came on, the game flipped.

We had a higher line, we were more aggressive, you had to tap down both sides. So that's one for me to take on the chin. I went for experience, got it wrong.

And we've turned the screw for literally 40, 45 minutes there and we're knocking on the door, we're having chance, chance, chance. Not glaring chances where keepers pull off worldies, but I mean how many times we get around the box and we're taking two free touches. And that's a sign of maybe lack of confidence on the goal, not getting our shots off.

And the one shot we get off quickly, we score from. Then we have another in the box, in Drapes, flick headers, probably an inch wide. Loads of good stuff, particularly on our right-hand side.

But for all the effort and determination and desire to sort of dominate a game, which I think we did again. You can't let in the goals, or you let in away from them. Well, anywhere but away from them, especially if you expect to get anything.

So, when all people say that, obviously it's on me, which it is. You know, but them boys have got to take the fair share because I can't remember... Listen, I've been here nearly four years, like I say. I can't really remember us dominating a game more than we are now.
I can't remember it. We've always played in transition, on the break and up sharp, but we're dominating games at the minute. Ball retention's pretty good.

We're getting in and around the box so often. And this goes back to the Coventry game, we lost 1-0, but we had 21 shots on goal. We had 14 corners in that game, but we didn't score.

The Boldmere game, we scored one, but we had, I think it was 18 shots that game, nine corners. And even the Sutton game the other week, I know we scored two, but we had 14 corners in that game. And no end of shots as well.

The stats will say that we're doing things right. You know, we're getting the lion's share of possession in most games. We're having more chances in the opposition.

Same again today, KP's made one save. But for whatever reason, both boxes where games are won and lost, despite the players we've got in there, and you say they should be our strongest area to pitch, Draper at one end, Evo, Jack today at the other. It shouldn't be as poor as it is.

In undecisive areas of pitch, you know, middle of pitch, that middle sort of 90, 80, 90 per cent, we're doing all right. But, you know, playing well doesn't win you games. Scoring goals doesn't keep you playing sheets, does it? So, yeah, it's one of them where I'm a bit soul-searching for myself as well.

Like, where do we go from here? Because we're doing the same things we've always done, me and Matt. How we prepare, how we train, everything. The info we give, the homework we do, it's all the same as before.

And you think it's probably only, it feels like a million miles a million years ago now, but it was only, what, nine or ten competitive games ago we were here, winning the play-off semi-final. We looked electric that night. You look at us now and we looked a little bit of a shadow of that.

And, yeah, it's always come down to me as a manager. And that's something I've got to take on the chin. But it's a difficult one because I feel like I don't know what we're going to get next week.

We might get a performance where we rip it up and beat a Step 3 team 3-0. But equally, we might not.

CN: Just moving on to the Evesham United game, obviously a tough one against Step 3 opposition. Two players that were stuck on the bench this afternoon, Jacob Gratton, a really senior, influential player in Lewis Austin, who was outstanding on Saturday. Are either of them looking like they're going to be fit for Saturday?

LA: Don't know. We had three fitness tests today and all three failed.
Ben Rhodes not available, injury. Gratton, obviously I make excuses, but we know how important Gratton is for that sharp end of the pitch and making stuff happen. He's up there, with the best players in the league.

He's not available, he's unfit, injured. Josh Mansell's played on half an ankle today, didn't really want to play him. Jordan Fankwe was playing on an injury.

Lewis Austin played all right. He played well on Saturday but came off injured again. He wasn't right to start today, and we thought we'd want to protect his ankle again.

So, yeah, it doesn’t rain it poors. Draper is only here for another few games and then he goes. Another one to add into the mix that we kind of didn't expect.

So, we've got to try and deal with that.