Elphick: We're not as good as we think we are

Worthing Football Club joint boss Gary Elphick has warned his players they are playing for their places after a 4-1 defeat at home to Wingate & Finchley on Saturday.
Worthing joint manager Gary ElphickWorthing joint manager Gary Elphick
Worthing joint manager Gary Elphick

The loss increased Worthing’s winless run in the Ryman League Premier Division to four games - after they won their opening three matches of the season.

Wingate took an early lead with a deflected Ola Williams shot on Saturday but Omar Bugiel levelled with his ninth goal of the season on 23 minutes.

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Wingate retook the lead when John Mbamarah headed into the top corner in the 56th minute before they had Sean Cronin sent-off for two bookings in a minute.

Worthing piled on the pressure but it was the visitors who rounded off an ultimately flattering win when Fred Moncur scored a late double.

Elphick said: “A point might have been a fair result but we’re not as good as what we think we are. After the first three games, people were looking at us and thinking ‘are they going to get promotion again?’ but those results were papering over a few cracks.

“Going up a division was always going to be tough and we’ve got to go back to basics now and be hard to beat.

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“A lot of it is down to desire and, as a team, we’re getting played around too easily. I said after Saturday’s game that players need to look at themselves and ask if they’re putting enough in.

“I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks because it’s an acid test for us. I want to be a winner and if you don’t want that as a player, there’s no point playing.

“We were carrying six or seven players on Saturday and you’re not going to win any games if you’re doing that.

“No one can come in at the moment and think they’re a guaranteed starter and no one’s shirt is safe.”

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Worthing entertain Three Bridges in the Alan Turvey Cup tomorrow night (7.45pm) and Elphick admits there will be changes.

He said: “We will make changes but they will be changes for a reason. We’ll experiment with a couple of things and will rest some players who have played a lot recently.

“But if players come in and do well, then they can keep their shirts so it’s up to them.”

Henry Watson again impressed in central defence on Saturday and with Corey Heath soon to return, Elphick says it could be an ideal time for him to watch a couple of games from the sideline.

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He said: “It’s an ideal opportunity to take myself out and look at a game from a manager’s point of view from the side.

“It will be great for me to watch and just see the game from a different viewpoint.”

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