Yeovil Town goalkeeper Grant Smith says securing survival in the National League is still in the hands of his team-mates.
The Glovers’ stopper, who has kept 13 clean sheets in all competitions this season, follows the thinking of his manager Mark Cooper that midweek defeats for Aldershot Town and York City have pulled them back in to the relegation scrap.
Yeovil go in to Saturday’s home game with Southend United occupying the top spot in the division’s bottom four with only Gateshead, who now sit two points and one place above them, having played fewer games.
Speaking on Thursday, Smith said: “All we can do is focus on ourselves, if we win our games that’s all we can do. Obviously teams around us play each other and we have to play those teams, so if we can get some wins then that will lead to others not getting results. So it is truly in our hands.
“By Saturday we will be fully focused on what we are doing, we can’t affect anything else so ultimately it doesn’t matter if other teams don’t get results. If we don’t win the game, it doesn’t matter if others win, lose or draw.”
He admitted that the team’s poor form in front of goal – just 32 goals in 38 matches which is 11 worse than bottom club Maidstone United – was putting extra pressure on the defence not to concede.
The Glovers have the best sixth best defensive record in the division and you have to go up to 12th place to find a better goals against tally – which is Saturday’s opponents, Southend United, incidentally!
Smith said: “It adds pressure on us defensively because we need to be perfect because we do lack in goals, but we have faith in the boys and hopefully starting Saturday that will come.
“When you know we don’t create five, six, seven chances, we know we might only create one chance that does add pressure because we know that if we let in one or two goals, the stats don’t lie, so it does add pressure.”