BINFIELD FC chairman Bob Bacon is adamant that manager Roger Herridge is the right man to restore former glories at Hill Farm Lane, writes Dave Wright.

The Moles, with a much-changed squad from last season, have been struggling of late and had gone five league and cup games without a win before beating Royal Wootton Bassett 2-0 on Monday night. It was also their first home win of the campaign.

“The team is in transition and so we expect to see erratic performances and strange results,” admitted Bacon.

“But I know Roger and the rest of the staff are working very hard on getting the lads to work as a team and learn to correct their mistakes.”

Herridge admitted: “It is going to take time.

"A lot of the lads played youth football and are used to winning.

“They have now come into men’s football and it is a learning experience for them.

“But we have to make sure that we don’t keep making the same mistakes week in, week out.”

The manager added: “We have had to change the team around and we are now looking to get the right balance of youth and experience.

“It is not helping that we have injuries at the moment, especially forwards, and if we do consider bringing in new players then they need to be better than what we have already got.

"We have brought Carl Withers back from Flackwell [Heath] and Chris Dean has joined us from Windsor.”

Herridge said he was “very relieved” after seeing his Moles side end their winless run, which included a 2-1 home defeat by Brimscombe & Thrupp last Saturday.

“That was a game we should have won,” stated the boss. “We certainly didn’t deserve to lose it.”

With strikers Liam Ferdinand and Brad Brown both out injured, Binfield have been finding it difficult to score goals.

Josh Howell and centre back Lewis Leonetti were the only two players in Monday’s starting 11 who had previously found the back of the net this season. ??

Howell put Binfield ahead from the penalty spot which led to a red card for Wootton’s George Drewitt for a foul on Jemel Johnson.

Aaron Rowland doubled his side’s lead on the hour mark and the visitors had a second defender, Dave Richards, sent off for foul and abusive language in stoppage time.

Herridge, like many other people, wasn’t absolutely certain that Johnson was brought down inside the box.

“The sending off was correct as he (Drewitt) was the last man,” he argued.

“If it was a penalty or not, you can only go with the linesman. I know Paul (Wootton manager Braithwaite) was unhappy, but from where he was standing I don’t think he could see where the foul happened. If it had taken place at the other end, he would have been screaming for a penalty and a red card.”

Moles’ man of the match on Monday was centre back Leonetti.

“He was a colossus,” said Herridge. “He had another excellent game and has been superb since joining from Windsor.”

Binfield visit Henley in the Hellenic Challenge Cup this Saturday (3pm) before hosting Brackley Town Saints in the Hellenic Premier on Monday (7.45pm).