Newark and Sherwood manager Romaine Graham orders extra training after run of one point from four games

Newark & Sherwood players have been called in for extra training in a bid to improve their form.

Boss Romaine Graham says the Highwaymen will be training twice a week for the “foreseeable future”.

They’ve taken only one point from their past four matches, the 2-2 draw with local rivals Newark Town on Boxing Day.

It’s a run that’s left them 10 points adrift of the United Counties League Premier Division North play-off places.

And while there’s plenty of time to force their way into the promotion picture, the ninth-placed Highwaymen need to raise their game. That starts on the training ground.

“We’re in twice a week now,” said Graham, whose side visit Hucknall this Saturday (3pm).

“We did only train once a week but with the current run of form, I said to the lads we’ve got to do everything in our power to turn things around.

“Certain luxuries, like only being in once a week, have to go. We’ve got to work harder.

“We’ll be in twice a week for the foreseeable future, until the form picks up.

“I hope the players see the benefits.

“I didn’t get any pushbacks and I dare them to, to be honest.

“I’m a reasonable gaffer. If you’re winning you can allow certain things but at the end of the day our current run of form and our level of performance means we have to work harder and that starts by coming in twice a week.

“When I played at this level and won the league, I was in twice a week, so maybe I should have enforced that from the start.

“We have to be doing all that we can.

“It’s a given that you’re in twice a week in non-league, or it was for me when I was playing, and the lads are getting more money than I did.

“If they don’t like it, it is what it is and they’ll be moved on, I guess, so they have to buy into it.”

The Highwaymen were due to face Repton in the Notts Senior Cup on Tuesday but with the tie postponed, Graham arranged the first additional session.

That was set to involve going through footage of their 3-1 defeat by AFC Mansfield at the weekend, followed by the regular Wednesday night session.

“The AFC Mansfield game was one of the worst we’ve had but certain things have been happening in other games that I’ve noticed that maybe we’ve got away with,” said Graham.

“Watching the whole game, I think they will see certain things that we’ve been saying to them, where you need to be in certain phases, which they haven’t been doing, and also just the effort.

“It’s a bit damning, to be honest, so it’ll be interesting to see how they react, seeing the effort levels just weren’t there compared to the opposition they were up against.

“It isn’t to smash anyone’s confidence, and I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I need to ask certain questions because some of the things I’m seeing just aren’t acceptable.”

Weekend opponents Hucknall are 17th in the table but go into the game on the back of a shock 3-1 win at leaders Eastwood on Saturday.

So it won’t be an easy game for Newark & Sherwood, who could hand a first start to new signing Tyler Dacres, who’s joined on a three-month loan from Basford.

“Hucknall beat Eastwood so they will be full of confidence,” said Graham.

“No game’s a banker but we’ve got a tough January and this was one of the games I thought might be a bit easier.

“But on reflection, they’re going to be full of confidence, there’s no pressure on them and they get a good following, so it’ll be a tough one.”