Marlow boss urges players not to be 'too hard on themselves' after Badshot draw

Dawid Rogalski was on target again.

--

Badshot Lea 2, Marlow 2

Marlow boss Mark Bartley urged his players not to be too hard on themselves after they allowed a two-goal lead to slip in last night’s (Tuesday) 2-2 draw at Badshot Lea.

The Blues were beaten three times in a row over the Christmas period, but managed to get their promotion bid back on track with successive away wins over Sutton Common Rovers (0-3) and Uxbridge (1-3) last week.

Bartley would have hoped they could complete a trio of wins on the road at Badshot but it wasn’t to be, despite the side racing into a two-goal lead in the early stages, much like they did at Uxbridge on Saturday.

Khalid Simmo fired the visitors in front after five minutes and Dawid Rogalski continued his prolific season in front of goal with the Blues’ second in the 20th minute.

But Badshot sit 11th in the table with nine wins from their 20 matches so far. They’ve been a match for most of the teams they’ve played this season, and they managed to draw themselves level before half-time with goals from Tane Caubo (31’) and Anuar Ceesay, who scored on the stroke of half-time.

Had the Blues managed to get themselves into half-time with their lead intact, the outcome might have been different, however, the visitors performed well over the course of 90 minutes and only some outstanding defence from the home side earned them a draw.

Reflecting on the game on X, Blues’ first team coach Aaron Steadman said: “As much as this feels like a loss right now.

“A long midweek away trip in the freezing cold, on a very difficult pitch and against a good side, a point isn’t the worst.”

Blues boss Bartley was also stoic about the result and his side’s recent form.

He said: “We're slightly disappointed that after getting ourselves in front, we've only come away with a point tonight.

“A great start was undone just before the interval. However, having picked up seven points from nine over three consecutive away matches, we won’t be too hard on ourselves.”

The result keeps Marlow in fifth place, a point above Westfield, however, Southall’s 1-0 win at Chipstead takes them three points clear at the top. They now have a 10-point advantage over Marlow but have played two games more than Bartley’s side.

The Blues now have two home games to look forward to, against the Metropolitan Police on Saturday (January 13) and second placed Chertsey on Tuesday (January 16)