CARETAKER boss Wayne Bond has called for Heybridge Swifts' players to stand up and be counted after they fell into the Ryman North bottom three following their 2-2 draw with Tilbury on Saturday.
Swifts twice took the lead in the match but were pegged back on both occasions and were fortunate their opponents couldn't complete the turnaround in the final 15 minutes.
It's now nine league games without a win for Swifts, a run that Bond says has obviously affected the players but he adds that they need to start producing points.
"It's a different set of players in the changing room, they're not up and at them, they're not vocal but obviously they try their hardest," said Bond.
"Once those players cross the white line there's nothing more you can do as a manager and Keith [Wilson, former manager] put all his faith in those players and they didn't produce for him so they do need to step up and start playing for this football club and playing for the people that worked so hard to keep it going. Its not just about themselves, it's about the club as a whole.
"The boys are really low at the moment. We need two or three characters in the changing room that get up and are vocal who gee the boys up.
"I was really pleased with Michael [Fitzgibbon], I thought he was unbelievable. I gave him the armband and he's the type of leader I want or anyone that comes in will want and I think he showed he wants to play for the club."
Despite the low morale in the changing room the caretaker boss felt his side should have seen out the game after dominating for long periods.
"In the first 20 minutes we had enough chances to win two games but unfortunately that's the way football is sometimes," said Bond. "You just get a feeling if you're not taking those chances you're going to get punished and from their first corner of the game they scored.
"The second goal was disappointing as well because I didn't feel we closed down quick enoug,h but we shouldn't have been worrying about that really.
"We should have taken the wind out of Tilbury's sails in the first 25 minutes and probably the first few minutes of the second half so it's very disappointing.
"Fair play to Tilbury though, they've got a goal out of nothing and in the last 15 minutes I probably wanted the game stopped because I was just worried, with the pressure they were putting on, that they might have nicked it at the end."
Tonight's (Tuesday) scheduled home match against Brentwood Town has been postponed as the Blues played Billericay Town in the Robert Dyas League Cup last night and Bond was pleased to have an extra day to work with the players.
"Tuesday is very helpful, not having a game, and I will see what players turn up here Tuesday and what players want to be a part of this scrap we've got now," said Bond.
"Every game we don't win, the teams above us could potentially be pulling further away. It's not a nice position to be in and I don't think it's a position the club ever thought it would find itself in but we're here.
"I said to the boys before that individually you all probably think you're good players but as a side the league table says otherwise. We're not a good team together so something has got to change."
