East Harling manager Stacey Lawrence to adopt a 'back to basics' approach with his Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Division One side

‘It is amazing how quickly football can change’ – that was manager Stacey Lawrence’s assessment after he was asked to sum up East Harling’s fortunes of late.

Ahead of their Norfolk Senior Cup tie against higher-league Thetford Town on October 6, Lawrence’s team had posted five straight victories in all competitions.

And, while they lost 2-0 to Thetford, the Green Army gave a good account of themselves and at this point, confidence was high at Church Road.

However, despite beating Fakenham Town Reserves next time out 2-1, East Harling have lost three games on the bounce, conceding 11 goals in the process.

Lawrence has admitted that his men deserved nothing from their encounter with a well-drilled UEA side, who won 5-1, but he was frustrated with the manner of the defeats suffered at the hands of Kirkley & Pakefield Reserves (3-0) and Watton United (3-1).

All of those goals came late on, with East Harling having early spurned a number of chances.

Consequently, Lawrence has called on his players to adopt a back to basics approach ahead of tomorrow’s Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Division One trip to fifth-placed Aylsham (2pm).

“It is amazing how quickly football can change. We had such confidence after the Thetford game,” said the boss, who has seen his team drop down to 10th.

“UEA are a good side and will probably be disappointed if they do not finish in the top two, but we have dominated the other games.

“We have always been a hard team to beat. We work hard as a unit and are tough to break down.

“But we have made it too easy recently. Of those 11 goals we have conceded, eight have been in the last 15 minutes.

“In the games we have dominated, we miss chances and then there is frustration, which leads to ill discipline.

“When you throw away games like that you do start to worry where the next win is coming from, but it is down to us to change it.

“We need to start getting back to basics and doing the things we are good at much better than in recent weeks.”

Lawrence will have to make do without the services of two of his defenders for the foreseeable future.

Harley Durrant (foot) will be out for eight weeks, while Ryan London (knee) is sidelined until next year.