‘We need to surround ourselves with fighters’ – Gosport Borough director of football Mark Molesley after Southern League home loss

Saunders has been signed from National League South club Hungerford, who he had only joined last month from league rivals Hungerford.

Previously the defender, 21, had started out at Aldershot, where he made the first team squad under Molesley’s management.

Saunders made his debut from the start as Gosport were beaten 2-0 at home by Metropolitan Police.

It was the club’s third successive Southern League Premier South home loss without scoring - albeit the other games were against top two Weston and Truro - and kept them five points above the relegation zone.

‘Alfie’s a tenacious little fighter and he’s fought for me before,’ said Molesley.

‘In our position it’s flight or fight and I’m looking for fighters. Alfie is the sort of player we need to surround ourselves with.’

Speaking to Boro’s YouTube channel, Molesley said the latest home loss was a ‘very desperate affair.’

‘We are masters of our own downfall, it’s frustrating to say the least,’ he remarked. ‘There’s a frustrating bubble around the place.

‘We kept on passing an infectious bug to each other - misplaced passes, niggly fouls. We killed our momentum.

‘These are not fine lines, these are big, open lines. We are failing in our execution of handling the ball, it’s definitely a confidence thing.

‘It’s a tough area, there’s no hiding place, and we have to stand up and be counted. It was a desperate affair littered with errors, and that creates a sapping feeling.’

The Met Police took the lead on the stroke of half-time when winger Kwaku Frimpong cut inside and fired a shot past Pat O’Flaherty into the top corner.

With 13 minutes remaining, the Police doubled the lead when Conor Lee beat two tackles before curling a shot beyond O’Flaherty’s dive.