McAllister bullish after Gosport end losing habit

CRAIG McALLISTER reckons Gosport Borough can take a lot of confidence going into their Southern League premier division game at Banbury United on Saturday (3pm).
Gosport player coach Craig McAllister. Picture: Keith WoodlandGosport player coach Craig McAllister. Picture: Keith Woodland
Gosport player coach Craig McAllister. Picture: Keith Woodland

The player coach insists there is greater belief in the squad after their 3-3 draw against Dorchester Town.

It ended a run of seven straight defeats but most encouraging was the nature of the performance.

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Borough had to play for over an hour with 10 men after defender Harry Medway was sent off.

Instead of crumbling the home side showed bags of character and backbone to stay in the game.

In the end they were gutted to be denied the win by a goal deep into stoppage-time.

McAllister believes it was a performance the side can move forward from.

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‘All the lads were gutted at the end of the game because it felt like a loss,’ he said.

‘Under the circumstances it was a great point.

‘The new players we brought in made a difference and it was an extremely important game for us.

‘It also showed the character and spirit in the squad.

‘The players are definitely up for the challenge and prepared to fight for the cause.

‘This was an important result because it stopped the rot.

‘The players were used to losing but now they have been given a big boost in confidence.

‘When you are in a situation like ours this is vital.

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‘Hopefully we can take this to Banbury and get more points on the board.

‘We can certainly go there with a different attitude.

Borough expect to be without defender Medway for three games following his sending off for violent conduct.

It is a big blow because he has been one of Borough’s most consistent performers.

Though they conceded three goals against the Magpies, Borough looked a lot more secure and organised at the back.

Rob Flooks, Ed Wakeley and Zak Sharp all did well.

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Up front striker McAllister continued his scoring run and the home side carried more of a threat going forward.

He added: ‘There is now far greater belief in the squad that we can go out and win games.

‘For us to do what we did with 10 men against Dorchester was brilliant.

‘We defended magnificently and some of the goals were fortunate.

‘It gives us a platform to build on.

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‘The players are working hard in training and listening to what we want.

‘Getting some consistency and stability in the side will help.

‘It should be enough for us to survive.

‘We need to start winning games quickly though to close the gap even further on Dunstable.’

Borough are four points behind Dunstable but have three games in hand and will be hoping to soon start closing the gap.