Lichfield Loss Leaves Joshua Disappointed

Rugby Town slipped to a defeat away at Lichfield City with manager Grant Joshua admitting his side fell well short of the levels they have shown in recent weeks.

Saturday's 3-1 league reversal at Lichfield brought Valley's mini-unbeaten run to an end.

Joshua stated: "I didn't recognise my team Saturday, that wasn’t us and they accept that," said Joshua. "I expected us to do what we normally do in second halves and go through the gears, but instead it was Lichfield who got stronger.

"We got ‘non-leagued’ in that second half – our energy levels were below what they have been."

Joshua felt the first half was a poor spectacle from both sides, but had expected Valley to assert themselves after the break: "It couldn’t have panned out any differently. Lichfield won every 50/50, every 60/40 in our favour, and bullied us.

"Having Josh Thomas come off after 20 minutes didn’t help, especially with Ethan Hanson already missing.

"Moving Olly [West] back to centre-half wasn't ideal, but it can’t be used as an excuse – we’ve used that formula before.

"We just didn't have the movements and rotations off the ball that we normally do, and we have to be braver in deep areas because going long doesn’t suit us."

The manager also highlighted the strain on his squad. "Josh, Ethan, Caine Elliott, Harrison Nee, Nathan Kabeya and Sam Tye are all either out, sick or carrying injuries, and we’re very stretched going into Tuesday and Friday.

But I have zero complaints about Saturday – Lichfield deserved their win based on the second half and good luck to them.

They're riding that crest of a wave like many promoted clubs have done before."

Joshua concluded: "We looked flat and lacked the energy required to get maximum points at Step Four.

"We didn't deal well with the areas Lichfield were putting the ball in and then backing it up, and as a result we couldn’t get our game going.

"Tuesday's selection will look very different to today, because we have six or seven lads who just can't physically play at the moment – and we're a small squad as it is."