Herne Bay boss Steve Lovell concedes defensive lapses are costing them with club without a clean sheet since October ahead of their away game with Sevenoaks

Defensive lapses are costing Herne Bay, manager Steve Lovell concedes.

Bay collected a point from their three festive Isthmian South East matches and are in mid-table, having been on the fringes of the play-off places.

They started 2024 with a New Year’s Day 2-2 draw at home to Ashford but are without a clean sheet since October.

Lovell said: “We’re giving goals away - too many goals.

“But I suppose that’s just the way we play. We’re open, we like to go forwards, we score a lot of goals, although it’s not as if we are leaving ourselves one-against-one at the back or really going for it.

“People are just making mistakes.

“Players don’t mean to make mistakes - but they are. It seems that every mistake we are making is costing us a goal.

“Sometimes, you can get away with it. You make a mistake and they don’t score.

“They’re not making many mistakes - but the ones we are, we’re being punished for. It never seems to happen to us.

“If it happens in the other box, it falls to them and they clear it. Whereas for us, it falls to them and they stick it in the net.

“But, hopefully, it’ll even itself out.”

Bay’s squad - and their backline particularly - are fairly inexperienced, bar player-coach Liam Friend.

On what their defensive issues are, Lovell replied: “A little bit of naivety.

“There’s players wanting to play everywhere when, sometimes, you have got to clear your lines rather than play that pass into midfield.

“If it’s a straight pass and it gets cut out, they’re at us. It’s about decision making.

“The youngsters do sometimes make the wrong decisions to pass the ball into areas where they shouldn’t be passing it. Then, it gets cut out and the opposition are at you.

“But they will learn. We’re a young team.”

After the Boxing