Defender Michael Smith has challenged his Yeovil Town team-mates to break their three-match losing run when they travel to struggling Woking this weekend.
The Glovers have conceded seven goals in their last three National League Premier Division fixtures resulting in losses at home to FC Halifax Town and league leaders Barnet and a 4-0 defeat at York City last weekend.
Smith featured in all three matches having returned to full fitness having missed more than a month of action with a hamstring injury and is confident the Glovers are capable of looking upwards again.
Speaking on Friday ahead of the trip to Surrey this weekend, he told BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah the side was disappointed with the 2-1 home defeat to Barnet on Wednesday night, but praised the performance of young defender Ed James, who joined on loan from Exeter City ahead of kick-off.
He said: “We let them play, we didn’t lay a glove on them, so in that respect we were really disappointed, but we have come out in the second half and shown spirit and fight and got back in to the game. It is just how it is happening for us at the minute, little bits of luck are not going our way, but we are not feeling sorry for ourselves. We are putting the work in on the training ground.
“Defensively we are usually pretty strong, but we have let ourselves down in recent weeks. I thought the big man (Ed James) came in and did really well with only one or two training sessions, he handled himself really well and was really pleased with how he performed. We are disappointed to lose the game, but we move on to Saturday.
“When you are on a good run, the confidence is high, but when you are on a losing streak, it is about breaking that and working as hard as you can. We have all been through that as footballers and we all know how to get through it, it is hard work and concentration.”
The 36-year-old was a pivotal part of last season’s National League South title-winning side and said the team felt they should be further up the Premier Division table than their current position of 13th.
He said: “The club has to look at finishing in the play-off places as a minimum. When we have a fit and available squad, it is as good as most in the league. We maybe do not have the budget of some other sides, but I think we can punch above our weight. As a club and a team we feel we need to be higher than we are at the minute, but there’s still a long way to go and a lot of football to be played. We are just concentrating on ourselves and how we perform.
“It is a good standard which probably does not get the recognition it should, but there are some good players and some good teams in this league. We are under no illusions, but we are hoping we can make a push towards the end of the year.”
On his injury, Smith added: “Last year I had a few injuries which was down to not having a pre-season, this year I had a bad hamstring injury which I played through which was probably my fault. I did not want to let the team down, but at my age it is about managing minutes. The Gaffer (manager Mark Cooper) and the medical team help me out massively, and I am pleased with how it is.”
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