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Hollands & Blair’s unbeaten run under new boss Darren Blackburn continued last weekend with a draw against Glebe - but the manager knows they need more.
Since taking charge, Blackburn has overseen draws against Erith & Belvedere, Snodland Town and Glebe in the three Southern Counties East Premier Division games he’s managed.
Ade Batula scored a penalty to equalise against Glebe last Saturday at Star Meadow in a 1-1 draw, just a week after his spot-kick earned a point against Snodland.
Blackburn said: “We have lost 11 matches overall, which is the most in the league, so clearly we had to stop that and it is good to be picking up points.
“Snodland was not the easiest of pitches to play on and a few things went against us in that game but the lads showed good character.
“We got a point against a well-organised and well-drilled Erith & Belvedere side with a good attacking line-up and good rotation in midfield, a tough team to play against.
“We made a good contest out of it and to get something out of that game was great.
“Glebe are another team who are around the play-offs, they have good players in their squad and goals with the likes of Jamie Philpot, so to limit them to very few clear-cut chances was good.
“In the end, when we had the wind behind us, we managed to equalise and had some chances but there just wasn’t enough composure and quality. We hit the post second half as well.
“The lads have responded well and we have managed to turn defeats into draws and now we have to try and turn the draws into wins.
“I can only go on what people at the club say, people I trust and have known a long time. They have watched the whole season and have said in terms of battling performance there is a bit more there and that generally equates into results, but that said, we can’t expect to get out of the situation we’re in by taking a point from every game.
“We have to start doing a bit more to make sure we start picking up wins along the way.”
Blair are at Sutton Athletic this Saturday, a side sitting just five points above them in the table.
Prior to last weekend, Blair added midfielder Kian Scott to the squad on a dual registration from Isthmian South East side Hythe Town.
Luke Exall, who was the team’s young-player-of-the-year in the 2021/22 season, is back with the club after time spent playing at Welling Town. Both Scott and Exall were in the starting XI last weekend.
Blackburn said: “Luke’s come back and he’s a great lad. He will be the first to accept that in possession he probably didn’t have his greatest game but Kian Scott has come in from Hythe and he is a lad [assistant boss] Richard Styles knows well.
“He can offer us something a little different. He is a big, strong lad for his age, he has the physique to have a future at this level, if not higher.
“They are a good couple of additions but we’re still looking to add.
“There is a job to be done. We need to make sure we’re not in the bottom two, it’s quite simple what the job is.
“Hopefully we can now start to turn some of those draws into wins but it is still a work in progress and by no stretch are we anywhere near where I would like to be yet.”
