'I know some of the supporters are getting a bit grumpy about it - but it happens' - Pete Stiles on Fareham Town's recent Wessex League Premier slump

Pete Stiles welcomed a midweek break from competitive action after seeing Fareham Town’s Wessex League Premier Division winless run stretched to four matches at 10-man Alresford.
Fareham boss Pete Stiles, right. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 170821-13)Fareham boss Pete Stiles, right. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 170821-13)
Fareham boss Pete Stiles, right. Picture: Chris Moorhouse (jpns 170821-13)

The heavy 4-1 defeat on the road was the third on the spin in the league for the Reds, who have now lost seven of their 17 matches in the Wessex Premier so far.

Stiles conceded there's no hiding from the fact his squad are in a bad spot at this moment in time.

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But the Fareham boss reiterated it's down to both himself and his players to stand up and turn things around - a challenge Stiles says they are more than capable of passing.

He said: ‘We’re just in a bit of a bad run at the moment, you can’t hide it, we’re having a bad run, heads are down a bit, but it’s up to the lads and me to get them all back on it. It’s a struggle at the moment - I know it’s the same for other clubs - but it just seems one thing after the other at the moment.

‘I know some of the supporters are getting a bit grumpy about it - but it happens and there’s nothing we can do about it.

‘Basically, we look dead on our feet at the moment. We’ve been going Saturday-Tuesday for quite a while. We just don’t look at it.

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‘We’re a lot of huff and puff with no end result at the moment. It really doesn’t help losing Archie Willcox and Josh Benfield, that’s a good centre-half and a good centre forward out, even so we’re in a bit of a problem which we’re going to have to sort out.

‘We’ve got nothing during the week so a bit of time off I think will do us the world of good.

‘I think come Saturday we’ll be a bit more refreshed and ready to go again.’

It was another league day out to forget for Fareham, who have now lost their last three Wessex Premier fixtures, conceding 10 times and netting just once in the process.

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The hosts were awarded a penalty, harshly in the eyes of Stiles, on 26 minutes. Yet after Dan Kempson had saved Brandon Channell's spot-kick, Ilyas Warshow was on hand to slot home the rebound.

Number two arrived before the break courtesy of Kristian Andonov as Alresford took control.

The game was as good as gone for Fareham early in the second half when Andonov was left unmarked to fire home his second goal of the afternoon.

Alresford had Sam Steel dismissed soon after but the hosts were awarded a second penalty which Channell tucked away this time.

Fareham did at least pull a consolation back through Ross Kidson but it couldn't prevent a third straight league loss.

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