Assistant boss Le Masurier: 'Lavs can't come in and change people straight away'

It was a day of huge frustration for new Kettering manager Richard Lavery (Picture: Peter Short)

But he also accepts that time is not something the Poppies have very much of as they continue to struggle against relegation from the Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central.

Kettering were thumped 4-1 at high-flying Mickleover on Saturday to remain just four points above AFC Sudbury and the relegation zone - and they meet Sudbury in a huge clash at Latimer Park on Tuesday night (ko 7.45pm).

It is a match the Poppies simply cannot afford to lose, and assistant boss Le Masurier says the team simply have to stand up and be counted.

Jim Le Masurier spoke to the media after the defeat at Mickleover (Picture: Peter Short)

New boss Lavery refused to face the media on Saturday as he was so upset by his team's performance in only his second match in charge, so it was left to Le Masurier to once again front up and talk about another insipid performance.

Kettering battled well in the first half and took the lead through Rhys Sharpe, but Mickloever netted an equaliser on the stroke of the interval and then cruised to victory in the second half as the visitors stepped off the gas.

And Le Masurier puts that down to the lack of leaders in the Poppies team.

"Lavs can't come in and change people straight away," said the assistant boss.

"If you lack leadership, then straight away you are not going to show leadership if you don't have it in you.

"There are too many players out there that lack leadership as we know, and that is whay we only kind of give 50 per cent in a lot of our games, and it was the same on Saturday.

"You can accept losing when you put the same shift in as you did in the first half.

"If you put that effort in second half and you lose the game, then you just put your hands up, but two out of the three goals in the second half were poor from us.

"Then when the ball has gone forward, we haven't got enough men up there when trying to hit them on the counter, and we have made it easy for them.

"We knew with the fixtures we have got, that Leamington and Mickleover were going to be difficult games.

"What matters is what we do against the teams in and around us in the bottom half, and we have got a lot of those games coming up.

"So we haven't got tome to be disheartened or lick our wounds, we have to act fast.

"We can't change what has happened on Saturday, but we need to look forward to Tuesday and put in a performance like we did in the first half on Saturday, and for 90 minutes against Leamington."

Sudbury were also beaten on Saturday, losing 3-2 at AFC Telford United.

The Poppies saw two players depart the club ahead of Saturday’s match.

Attacker Luca Miller has joined Harborough Town on loan for the rest of the season, while goalkeeper Billy Johnson has left the club ‘by mutual consent’.

Interview by Peter Short