Iain Parr holds his hands up and admits mistake after St Neots Town lose twice over Easter
HAIR RASING: Jack Werndly holds off a challenge from a Banbury player on Saturday. Picture: Andy Wilson. - Credit: Archant
WHEN your are preparing for next season, it can be dispiriting to dwell on the mistakes of this one – but that’s exactly what St Neots Town manager Iain Parr did on Monday night after the 3-1 loss at home to Bedford Town when he Tweeted: “I need to hold my hands up to the changes made today. I anticipated the second half and set up to counter but that didn’t work.”
BURSTING THROUGH: St Neots' portuguese winger Andre Da Costa on at the ball at Banbury United. Picture: Andy Wilson. - Credit: Archant
St Neots went into Easter weekend with two wins from two – but a 3-1 defeat at Banbury United on Saturday was followed by the same score at The Cozy Stadium in front of a swollen Easter Monday crowd.
Jay Davies gave the Saints a 22nd-minute lead but Parr’s tinkering for the second half didn’t work and an unlucky Jordy Nkinga own goal levelled matters with Jamaine Ivy and Jordan Davis scoring a further two.
“They were disappointing results for two very different reasons,” said Parr.
“On Saturday it was a flat performance from the players, there was a lack of urgency and a lack of desire – and on Monday I made the wrong decision to change things when I did.
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“We have brought quite a few new players in over the last few weeks and I wasn’t expecting the disruption of the cohesion of the team. It has cost us.”
The latest in-comer, last week, was Nathan Koranteng who started his career at Peterborough United and made three first-team appearances for the Championship club. More recently he has played for Woking and Tonbridge Angles. Parr’s assistant Andy Davies said: “Nathan has been a target for us all season. The lad is only 20 years old and fits comfortably into our future plans.”
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So with an evolving team, no-one is expecting St Neots to win all of their remaining games: there will be more bad days at the office. Chairman Mike Kearns is happy to let this season slide with the future of the club very much a youth issue.
But it would take a dramatic turn of events for the 13th-placed Saints to go down now. With six games remaining, St Neots are 16 points clear of second-from-bottom Bedworth United with two clubs destined for the drop from the Southern Premier. Cash-strapped Kettering Town, with just 12 points to their name, are all but dead and buried. “If we lose the last six games we should still be safe,” said Parr.
