Southall 0, Badshot Lea 1

BUOYANT Badshot Lea made it two wins out of two under new management duo Gavin Smith and Dave Ford with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Southall on Saturday.

Lea followed up their 1-0 win at Cobham the previous week to move out of the relegation zone in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League.

And such is the competitive nature of the division that Lea, who had a poor run of form which led to the dismissal of former boss Keith Hills just before Christmas, now sit only four points off eighth-placed Cobham.

“You are obviously going to take two wins from two but we’re not going to get carried away because it’s still really tight,” said Smith, whose side started the day in the bottom two but ended it up in 15th.

“We’ve just got to keep the momentum going and try to pick up wins when we can.”

Jack May converted Reece Connolly’s cross at the back post in the 21st minute for what turned out to be the winner for Lea, who also had two efforts from Connolly ruled out for offside.

“We’re digging in and the lads are giving us exactly what we want at the moment which is hard work,” said Smith.

“We haven’t had the chance to work on a lot of things so far but we are trying to get the message across to the players of how we are going to try to play.

“It doesn’t just happen and it’s going to take a while, so at the moment it’s just a case of getting them to work as hard as they possibly can – and they’re doing it.”

Victory at Southall, who were reduced to ten men when they had a man sent off for a second yellow card 16 minutes from time much to the amusement of the Lea manager as he only found out about the red card on social media after the game, was also significant because it provided a second clean sheet in as many games.

“The lads are defending really well as a team,” said Smith, “which is probably why we’re not scoring. But defensively we’re working hard not to concede.

“All the players are pretty much new to us, we just need a bit of time and we’ve got to find the right mix of players, but as long as the ones who are out there are working hard then hopefully we’ll pick up results.

“We might need a few tweaks here and there but overall we’re pleased. It’s the attitude that’s pleasing, people wanting to be at training, wanting to play on a Saturday, being disappointed if they’re not playing.”

Last weekend’s win at the Reynolds Stadium in Ealing has set up the rare prospect of Lea making it a hat-trick of wins when they return to Krooner Park in Camberley on Saturday to face lowly Raynes Park Vale, who lost 2-0 at home to Southall on Tuesday night.

“If we can get a result on Saturday against Raynes Park Vale we can put a little bit of distance between us and them and that’s what we have to start doing now, putting distance between ourselves and a few teams,” said Smith, who will be without Josh Francis and Max Herbert for the visit of Raynes Park.

And Smith refused to think beyond Saturday’s Premier Division clash.

“You’ve got to take one game at a time and you’ve got to work harder than the other team. If you do, more often than not you will get the result.

“The attitude of the players has been spot on since the first training session and the team spirit is good, and you get a couple of wins and it’s a happier place to be.

“But I know what football’s like. You’ve just got to keep your feet on the ground and take each game as it comes.”

Badshot Lea: Clement, Blake, Roberts (Pound 80), Flanighan, Bonsu, Herbert, May (Bell 75), Thripp (Pilgrim 63), Connolly, Ford, J Francis. Subs (not used): Close, K Francis.