AFTER such a fine start to their first season in the top flight of non-league football, Salisbury City manager Nick Holmes accepts that the step up in class may be beginning to take its toll.

Whites have now suffered four defeats on the bounce - the latest a 4-2 reverse at Exeter City.

Holmes said he had no problem with the previous three defeats - all against stellar Conference sides in Oxford United, Kidderminster Harriers and Burton Albion, as his charges had deserved to take something out of each game - it was the manner of City's performance in midweek at St James Park that angered the Salisbury chief.

"It was always going to be a tough stretch of games - we all knew that - but this is the only one of them that I can safely say we deserved to lose.

"It's disappointing because we looked tired from the outset.

"We were second best all over the park and we had probably eight or nine players off the pace and you can't even compete when you're like that."

Trailing to an early goal, Whites were back on level terms when Robbie Matthews headed home a Liam Feeney cross for his fifth goal of the season.

But a controversial Exeter second deep into stoppage time altered Holmes' half-time team-talk.

"We thought we were going to get away with 1-1 at half time and then have a chance to get them together but that wasn't to be.

"It was a little bit the referee's fault for allowing the throw-in to be taken 30 yards from where it should have been - but that's me being a little bit facetious."

City conceded within minutes of the start of the second half and trailed 4-1 before Feeney netted to give the score-line some air of respectability.

Holmes struggled to remember the last time City had lost four games on the spin under his leadership.

"I don't think I even lost four games in a row as a player!"

Next up for Whites is a home game against perennial Conference strugglers Altrincham.

The Cheshire side escaped the drop last season only when Boston United's off-the-field problems prompted their demotion by the League.

Holmes insists City will learn from this experience and come back stronger.

"I think you've got to look at the possibility that some of the boys are tired or feeling the pressure of playing so many games at a higher level for the first time.

"But we'll regroup.

"We've had a chat about it and we'll have another good chat before Saturday. Tommy might be a bit loud at times but he's very sensible - as we all are - and we'll talk it out. "As long as everyone's honest, we'll get something out of it."

Despite seeing eight goals go past him in the last two games, goalkeeper Ryan Clarke has been in stunning form.

Heroics against Burton Albion kept the Brewers at bay until Whites eventually succumbed 4-3, while top drawers saves at Exeter ensured the Grecians didn't increase their goal difference column considerably.

"That's a worry for the back four - with all due respect, with the exception of Luke Oliver, who's been excellent since he's been with us.

"Liam Feeney and Ryan Clarke were the two people there who were on their game.

"Feeney's made one and scored one and put more crosses in than the rest of our team put together and that's all we ask of our players - put balls in the box.

"We've had eight crosses tonight and I think six of them have come from him.

"We scored two goals - I've got no problem with that - but we've still got to be better than we were tonight. We're at a different level now and certainly the boys we're playing against are sharper than the level below."

Salisbury's previous visit to Exeter was for their ill-fated FA Trophy quarter-final in 2006 which ended in a 3-1 defeat - some controversial refereeing decisions contributing to the then Southern League side's exit.

"We probably played better two years ago didn't we!"

Looking ahead to Saturday, Holmes said: "Of course Altrincham is a game you'd hope to get something from.

"We're going into a game off the back of four defeats, we'll see what the boys are made of.

"We won't do anything different as far as training goes, we know they've matched up with everybody else in this league so we don't need to change much.

"It's just that tonight the minds weren't sharp enough to start with - if that's the aftermath of Saturday, that's one thing.

"If it's that the games have got too hard for them, then that's a bit more of a problem."

7:44am Saturday 13th October 2007

Print   Email this