Newark & Sherwood manager Romaine Graham insists they need to start firing again now to make United Counties League Premier Division North play-off challenge
Romaine Graham knows it will eventually be make or break for Newark & Sherwood’s play-off hopes.
The Highwaymen are 12 points off the top five after losing 4-1 at home to Skegness in United Counties League Premier Division North on Saturday.
It’s not too late to force their way into the play-off picture with 15 games to go but their form needs to improve.
If it begins to look unlikely, it could be a case of getting a headstart on preparing for next season.
“It’s definitely still achievable but I suppose it’s getting to that stage where we have to be realistic because we’ve got to put a run together,” said manager Graham.
“I feel we’re capable of doing it but we’ve not shown signs of that recently.
“I’m conscious of that and at that point, we’ll have to decide on maybe just consolidating our position in the league this season, which I still believe we’ll have improved on last season.
“The difference with last season is we started really poorly and then I came in and we finished strong, so it always feels better.
“This season we started quite strong but we’ve dipped. Holistically, we are better as a club than we were last season.”
Should Newark & Sherwood be forced to admit defeat in their bid to reach the top five, Graham is likely to concentrate on working on a style of play for the long term.
“I’ve got a way I want to play,” he said.
“I’ve probably not been able to enforce that as much as I want.
“It might get to a point where it’s, ‘Right, this is now what I want us to really focus on, regardless of the result’, whereas in this interim period I might have gone back to a system that the players feel comfortable with just to try and get some results.
“If we’re not getting results, I might as well look to work on an extended pre-season and work on the way I want us to play going forward.”
Marley Fearon gave Newark & Sherwood an early lead against Skegness but two goals in two minutes turned the match on its head and a third followed before half-time.
The visitors added a late fourth to complete a frustrating afternoon.
“We started really well,” said Graham, whose side visit sixth-placed Boston Town this Saturday (3pm).
“We had sustained pressure for a good 20 minutes where we could have been 3-0 up and certainly 2-0 up.
“Confidence is just everything in football. As soon as they scored, we conceded another and just struggled to recover.
“Winning’s a habit but we’ve got into the habit of losing at the minute so we’ve got to stick together and keep showing up.
“I’m confident with the players we’ve got that we’ll be good.
“We’ve got a close group. The transition to try and be a team that’s going for play-offs, whether or not it’s the pressure of that which has got to us, I’m not sure.
“It’s something we’ve got to work on together.”
Newark & Sherwood conceded two goals in the last 11 minutes to lose 2-1 to Retford United in the Notts Senior Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday night. The twice-postponed tie was switched to Retford due to floodlight problems at Harrowby.
Jamie Williamson had put Newark & Sherwood ahead after 13 minutes.
Striker Ben Henderson has left the Highwaymen for a new challenge.
“He came in last season and was an exciting prospect,” said Graham. “He’s got so much talent. He probably didn’t hit the heights for what we would have liked but he was committed to us and I thank him for his efforts.”