Steve Lovell has pledged to stand by the personnel in Herne Bay’s squad as they aim to turn their league form around.

Bay, who saw Tuesday night's scheduled Isthmian South East trip to Broadbridge Heath called off due to an unplayable pitch, have had an 11-day break from action.

It has been a period which has allowed them to take stock, having won just once in their last seven matches in all competitions ahead of Saturday’s trip to leaders Ramsgate.

Ironically, Ben Smith’s side had been Herne Bay’s last opposition, losing 2-1 to them last Tuesday at Winch’s Field, as teenage Gillingham loanee Harry Bridle came off the substitutes’ bench to score a debut goal.

But Bay boss Lovell doesn’t want to tinker with his misfiring side too much.

The Welshman said: “Harry’s come in and it was the first time that he had met most of them before the game. He came on and scored, and he did a good job for us.

“Mike Salako, who scored loads of goals for us last year, has been going through one of those periods where strikers don’t score a little bit. But we all do it, I did it as a player and came out the other side.

“There’s no harm in taking a step back. It’s something that happens to all strikers, unless you’re Joe Taylor, of course, who does seem to get at least one goal every game!

“I’m sure Mike will start scoring again for us. But it’s why you cannot rely on one player to get the goals.

“If Mike is not scoring, the others need to step up and start scoring.

“The midfielders were scoring at the start of the season and defenders were helping us get clean sheets.

“It’s something we will work hard on and get right.

“That’s not through changing the personnel, that’s through working with what we have got, because we have got some great lads and some excellent players.”

Injuries have taken their toll during Bay’s dip in form, although most of those who have been sidelined are now back fit again.

Lovell admitted: “It’s been a tough three or four weeks, really, and with results not going the way we would like them to.

"It’s been a bit of a shame.

“We started the season so well and it’s no coincidence, when we lost four or five out of the side, results have dipped. That’s nothing against the boys that have come in - but it does upset the rhythm we had going in the early part of the season.

“You can lose one or two out of your starting XI but, when you start to lose three, four or five, that starts to make things difficult.

“Players can come in and do well but that doesn’t always happen. We have been through it now and just need to go back to the way we are at the start of the season.

“Funnily enough, the performances have generally been excellent, it’s just fine margins have gone against us in games.

“It was like that with the Ramsgate game.”

But there is still plenty of football to be played this term and Lovell is confident Bay will turn things around if they keep putting in good performances.

“I always say it’s about performances rather than results,” said Lovell, whose team are due to host Three Bridges on Tuesday after their fixture at Southwood. “Good performances, generally, will get you results.

“As long as we keep performing well, I’m sure things will turn around.

“Anyone who came to the Ramsgate game last Tuesday would have seen how well we played and that we were unlucky not to get something out of it. We just need to match some of our performances with the result.

“But we’re 13 league games in, we still have another 29 games to go this season, so there’s plenty of time to put things right.”

Providing an injury update, Lovell added: “Kane Haysman should be back in contention for this Saturday.

“Artem Kuchkov, who came off against Ramsgate, should be all right. Liam Friend is back and Jack Parter is back, so there’s quite a few players coming back into the reckoning.

"There’s only really Frankie Smith, who is another two or three weeks away, that’s definitely out.”

Trials for Bay’s post-16 Academy will be on Monday, February 17 at Herne Bay FC.

Email footballacademy@hernebayhigh.org for further information.