Hurting

However much you had that horrible feeling that the failure to convert almost constant dominance (26 chances created) in Sussex would inevitably lead to a sucker punch, it was still cruel, it still hurt.

And it should hurt. We've followed up a loss to a team I can't stand, with a loss to a team managed by someone I can't stand.

At the moment there are plenty of recriminations knocking about and those calling for Dean Smith's head are getting louder and brasher every game.

Now I'm not suggesting that everything is rosy right now because clearly it isn't. You don't score, you don't win and you need to kill teams off when you're on top. These are basics that we're not getting right.

It was a problem that cost us a crack at the play-offs in the final third of last season. Now it's worse as only goal difference keeps us off the bottom of the table.

I'm not necessarily worried by our league position when there's 32 games to go; but what is bothering me a lot right now is the impact our results and performances are having on the manager and players.

When I look at Deano I see a decent manager and a decent man. When I look at the players I see an honest bunch of lads who want to do well for us and their manager, thankfully there are no Simon Osborns out there.

Whilst our performance against Crewe was not good, they were pretty pathetic and didn't deserve the slice of luck that saw Romaine (easily the best player on the pitch) slice his clearance to gift them a goal. Equally Crawley did little to merit three points the other night.

Whilst I'd take a flukey win, an error from the opposition or a winner against the run of play; at the risk of stating the obvious, I feel we need both a performance and a result against Chesterfield. And then we need to get on some kind of run, especially with cup games coming up. We need something positive.

Therefore what we don't need is negativity. We went into the Crewe game on the back of three impressive home performances on the bounce - against Bristol City, the unbeaten league leaders; Preston, top six contenders and a horrible side to play against and Doncaster, just down from the Championship with one of the bigger budgets in the league.

Those games yielded 7 points and 7 goals, and it could have been more. We'd only lost one in six (and won at Rochdale in the JPT). Not that you'd have guessed it from the atmosphere around the ground last Saturday.

Despite the result at Crawley, it was clear right from kick off that there was a positive attitude from the players. I actually trust Dean, ROK and co will work on the training ground and I do trust him to pick the team he thinks will win the next game.

I'd like to think I'd never be labelled a happy clapper, but I really think that we need to hold our nerve. We deserve better than what we've seen so far this season but the manager and the team deserve better too. They need our backing now more than ever.