Gosport & Fareham hoping '˜16th man' can inspire them to topple Farnham

The Blue & Golds need to respond well after their heavy defeat at Eastleigh.

Farnham are second in the league with two wins out of two.

But Gosport & Fareham coach George Hillan believes the home crowd can tip things in the favour of his men on Saturday at Gosport Park (3pm).

He said: '˜The players are looking forward to being given an opportunity to try to rectify the areas they felt we needed to develop.

'˜An added incentive is the game against Farnham on Saturday is our first home fixture of the season.

'˜We will use this as the 16th man to give us that added energy and a desire to perform well in front of our loyal supporters.

'˜Farnham will arrive at Gosport Park on a high after two wins in the league. 

'˜So we need to start well and apply pressure to the opposition through the control and composure we show during training.

'˜We need to maintain a positive outlook for the full 80 minutes because there are going to be periods of the game when things will not go our way.

'˜It's how we deal with these decisions and actions that define us as a player and a squad.' 

Things have been quite tough in training after the Eastleigh defeat.

But the coaching staff have been delighted with the way the players have worked to make sure they address the things they didn't do well enough.

Hillan added: '˜It has been a difficult week for both players and coaches following the result on Saturday when we played Eastleigh. 

'˜This has included the use of self analysis which included the highlights from the fixture, discussions in groups and as a club. 

'˜It has allowed us to agree on an action plan for which we can move forward as a collective.

'˜During Tuesday's training session it was very evident the players were disappointed with the score and over-critical of their performance.

'˜We concentrated on one key area for development. The players' reactions and energy to the session was exemplary. 

'˜Again it showed the coaching staff we have a passionate and committed group of players who care about their performances.

'˜At the end of the training session on Tuesday the players were in a much better state mentally after a very productive evening.'