After the Margate Match, Manager James Bracken had these comments...
"I knew it’d be a tough learning curve. What I mean by that is we can play like we did in the first half against a Bostik South side and gone in at the break one-nil down. If we’d have responded like we did in the second half, we’d have come away with the three points.
"However, the learning curve here in this league is we go home with no points, based on the first half performance. That was nowhere near good enough. Some of our defending was suicidal. You give the opposition ten yards of space, they’re going to score every time.
"I said before the season started, if you make it easy for these teams and let in cheap goals, they’ll punish you.
"I don’t need to tell the players that though. They knew it wasn’t good enough.
"First half, I’m sure nerves crept in and decision making went down the pan. The boys were heading balls clear when they had time and space to bring it under control. It was real basic stuff.
"I told them at half time just to play more. All pre-season, we’ve played good football. We’ve got it down, passed the ball well, moved off the ball. Everything you’d want to come and watch. I said, as far as I am concerned, I’m happy to draw a line under it and put right what we needed to put right. There’s no pressure on us now as the game is done. You’re playing for your shirts on Tuesday night… go and show what you’ve got. We couldn’t get any worse so have a go in the second half and win it, which we did.
"You win or you learn. That’s a common ethos and I honestly believe it. In this league, nothing is expected of us. We got what people expected from this fixture – nothing. But we learned a hell of a lot by the end of the match and if we start the game the way we started the second half, we’ll give Folkestone a right good game on Tuesday. Then the fine margins come into play as to whether you win or you lose.
"Remember, this isn’t our season done. It’s one game in and there’s always funny results on the opening day. We’ll certainly be more prepared for Tuesday. The nerves will be gone and hope to get back to our pre-season performance levels."
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