LES WHITTON admits it is frustrating to have to try out new players in competitive action as he looks to shape his Brentwood Town squad.
Without a second-string side, Whitton has to throw new players straight into a match situation, and it is making things difficult for his team.
Ahead of last night's scheduled trip to Chatham, the Blues had recorded just a solitary league win – but in the wake of Saturday's incredible 5-5 draw at Ware, Whitton insists his side will turn things around.
"We don't have a lot of time to work with the players," he said. "And we also want to try players out but we've got no reserves, no Capital League side, no U21 side so if I want to try someone I have to try them in games and it's not ideal.
"We're trying to get players in to strengthen things up at the back but we're not getting time to work with them to get them going out how we want to play.
"But that's the way it is. It's going to be a difficult season for us but everybody knows that we've got to improve our defending.
"At the end of the day we've got to start picking up points. I'm so confident that we will, no problems.
"It's harder to score goals than it is to stop them and the sooner we stop conceding goals we'll be fine.
"We haven't been outplayed by anyone so far, teams at the top, teams in the middle or anyone else, nobody.
"We're in every game that we play, we've not been smashed or embarrassed and we're enjoying our football."
Saturday's game at Ware was, in many ways, Town's season in a nutshell.
They are proving to be leaky at the back, but strong going forward, and their never-say-die spirit was shown as they hit back to earn a point despite being down to ten men.
And Whitton is happy with how his side look going forward – even if they need to tighten up at the other end.
"It wasn't great defending," he added. "But having said that, the goals we scored were really good goals and I'm really pleased with them.
"It was good two-touch football and moves where we got behind them and squared the ball.
"But obviously the defending wasn't great.
"We scored two goals when we had ten men. We've scored in every game and we're ok going forward, it's just the defensive side we've got to sort out and where we're such a young side, mistakes are going to be made but we've got to learn from it and not make the same mistakes."
The Blues host in-form Cheshunt – who are scoring goals for fun at the moment – on Saturday, and Whitton is hoping his side can get a bit of luck against Omer Riza's men, who beat Romford 4-0 last weekend.
He added: "We've got youngsters who want to learn but it seems that every mistake we make is being punished.
"We don't seem to be having the rub of the green.
"Going forward it's fantastic, we play some good stuff and we're scoring some great goals but the defending is a worry."
