Caretaker boss Kneller reflects on ‘fine margins’ as Gosport Borough are thumped at home by Bracknell in the Southern League

Bracknell struck twice in the closing minutes to record a 4-0 Premier South victory at Privett Park - Boro’s ninth league defeat in a dire 11-game run which has realised just four points.

Having started the season with high hopes of challenging for the play-offs, Boro have now slipped into the bottom five - and teams below them have games in hand.

Bracknell led at half-time through a Darryl Sanders header, but Boro began the second half on top.

Top scorer Dan Wooden was twice denied by keeper Michael Eacot while he also dragged a shot wide.

Needing to make an attacking substitution, Kneller took off Pompey loanee Harry Jewitt-White and put on winger Abdulai Baggie.

Within two minutes, Magnus Abisogun had capitalised on a stray Rory Williams pass to double Bracknell’s lead.

And two late goals sentenced Boro to their heaviest league defeat of the season.

Kneller told The News: ‘The result doesn’t tell the whole story.

‘At half-time we weren’t happy, but we felt we were in the game.

‘Dan Wooden then had three chances, if one or two of them go in it’s a different game.

‘At 1-0 down, we had to make changes - and when you do that the risk is always as great as the reward. We had to try and get back in the game, and ideally go on and win it. It’s fine margins.

‘It doesn’t look good on paper, but it wasn’t a 4-0 game.’

There were two new faces on the Boro bench. Goalkeeper Callum Smart has been brought in, with goalkeeping coach Steve Manning hav worked with him at the AFC Bournemouth academy.

Up front, University of Portsmouth student Fareed Saidu Salifu - who trained with the club for the first time last Thursday - was introduced late on.

Kneller knows the squad needs strengthening. ‘At this level you need willing runners, physicality, and some quality on the ball.

‘We need players with a will to win. I’m not saying we haven’t got that in the group, but we need more of it.

‘We’re not going to spend money to get us out of this hole, and I wouldn’t want to bring players in who the next permanent manager might not fancy.’

Kneller admits the league table makes for concerning reading. ‘Are we in a relegation fight?’ he asked. ‘Maybe.

‘It’s obviously not where the club and the chairman saw themselves being, after the signings we made in the summer.

‘With the players we have, we shouldn’t be in this position.

‘We are aware of the issues and we’ve got to try and fix them internally, whether it’s a change of shape or change of personnel.

‘We need to turn it around quickly. As a group, we need to find a solution.’