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Search forSutton coach to stay calm despite run of defeats
Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 08:00
Sutton Coldfield RFC coach Matt Nevitt has seen no reason to panic – despite his side losing their third game in a row last weekend.
The Greens had got their season off to the best possible start before their recent run of results and Nevitt is confident that with the players at his disposal they can once again reach the highs in their new division.
Speaking to Observer Sport this week, Nevitt said: "We lost against Stoke to make it three in a row yes, but I have seen enough of my team in this league to know we can be more than competitive in it.
"We have players out injured and players new to the set-up, so it was not going to be a case of straight in and the same as last season.
"That saying I do expect us to push on again in this league and over the next 18 months want us to be challenging to get out of it.
"I knew it would be tough after getting promoted last season but the lads have handled it well and if anything should be higher in the league than we are.
"We have had some pretty close defeats and that has been what has got to me.
"Not the fact that we are losing games – the fact we are losing games we should in fact be winning."
Sutton's defeat last weekend to Stoke could have given Nevitt reason to complain after the visitors scored a somewhat debatable try to turn the game around.
Despite having reason to question the result, though, Nevitt would rather focus on the next game than dwell on the past.
He said: "One of their guys was knocked out in the second half so a couple of our players rushed over to him, put him in the recovery position and made sure he had not swallowed his tongue, etc.
"While they were doing that, though, Stoke did not stop play and went down the other end and scored a try.
"We were 13-7 up at the time and looked in control so it really was a key try to concede.
"To be fair to them they kicked on after that and went and got the win but it was just the way it happened that really left us hurting.
"We will not go on about that score as it is now about the game at Camp Hill this weekend for us.
"They are second bottom but I know they have been unlucky and have only just been losing their games.
"We know it will not be easy but we want that win to stop the run that we are on.
"We have lost three now and it can become a habit.
"We want to stop that before it does and create a winning habit like we had a few weeks back."
To help them in their quest to regain form Nevitt added that his side will be doing their utmost to continue to improve.
He said: "This league is so different to the one below and to counter that we have had to really up our game.
"We have had to start training harder just to keep up the extra intensity that the games are providing.
"We need to make sure we are up at the optimum levels for every game, as whereas we used to get away with giving teams one or two chances, now it is taken every time we do."
Sutton travel to Camp Hill tomorrow.
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