‘It was damage limitation in the end’ – Glenn Turnbull suffers heaviest Wessex League defeat as Moneyfields manager

But he admits he doesn’t know exactly where to make them after a 4-0 Premier Division mauling at early-season pacesetters Bemerton Heath.

Less than a month after romping to a 5-0 win at Moon Park in an FA Cup tie, Moneys returned to Salisbury to face a fired up home side.

‘We were well beaten by the better side,’ rued Turnbull after Moneys slipped to a fourth straight defeat - the previous three coming in cup ties – during which they have shipped 15 goals.

‘It was always going to be difficult going back there so quickly after winning 5-0. But I didn’t expect to lose, I felt we had enough to win.

‘A few of their players were keyed up, they thought we had been disrespectful when we won there - but if you can’t celebrate a 5-0 FA Cup win, when can you?

‘They had their music turned up at the end, banging on the walls. I said to my players ‘you have to use this as motivation’.

Teenage keeper Bailey Neil made some fine saves to keep Bemerton’s margin of victory down to just four.

The latest loss came on the back of cup exits at Wimborne (1-3, FA Cup), Bournemouth Poppies (0-5, Hampshire Senior Cup) and New Milton (2-3, Wessex League Cup).

‘It’s tough at the moment,’ said Turnbull. ‘I feel a bit for Bailey.

‘The fact he’s been in our top three players recently, and we’re still conceding fours and fives, tells you things.

‘It was damage limitation in the end. I felt they (Bemerton) could score every time they went forward.

‘It was a mixture of they were that good and we were that bad.

‘When we won there in the cup I was saying to Shaun (Hale, Bemerton boss) ‘don’t be too harsh on yourself, it’s only one game, I’m sure things will change’.

‘I didn’t expect that to be against us a few weeks later. This time it was Shaun messaging me, saying ‘don’t let your head drop.’ That’s football.’

Turnbull continued: ‘It’s only three points dropped (in the four successive defeats) but we need to do something.

‘Whether that’s a change of shape, or we need to freshen up the squad again - let some players go, bring some players in.

‘Travelling back (from Bemerton) with Barto (coach Paul Barton), we were talking about the different permutations in terms of shape and the personnel we’ve got in the squad.

‘People tell me ‘sign him, sign him’, but it’s not that easy.

‘Right now, I don’t think Moneyfields are an attractive proposition. That might change in two months time when we have brand new facilities, rather than travelling all the time as we are at the moment.’

Yesterday’s game was Moneys’ eighth successive league and cup away match of 2022/23 due to the development of the John Jenkins Stadium.

They are due to play their next five away as well, starting with Tuesday’s trip to Cowes Sports on the Isle of Wight.

Turnbull, meanwhile, was without two players on holiday at Bemerton while Joe Briggs and Adam Cripps are injured.

‘I can’t get my head around the fact that players take holidays during the football season,’ he said.

‘I know that sounds conceited as I’m going on holiday soon, but I’m not playing!

‘It’s just tough to get any continuity.’