Back to the training field for London Colney after frustrating draw with Stotfold

Gareth Price has a shot from distance in the run up to the penalty decision in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

The north Hertfordshire side had arrived at Cotlandswick bottom of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and must have feared the worst when Loren Maxwell fired the Blueboys ahead from the penalty spot on 25 minutes.

Jack Metcalfe makes a save from Kieran Barnes in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

But they were level four minutes later and although the hosts dominated possession, certainly in the first half, Stotfold had chances to nick it late on.

Joe Reynolds in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

For Charlery, it was his side being consistent, although not in the way he wanted.

Laurence Vaughan sheilds the ball from Dean Gilbert in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

“It’s been like that over the last couple of weeks,” he said: “In fact you can probably go back further than the last couple of weeks.

Ken Charlery on the touchline in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

“It’s hard when you’re playing teams at the bottom of the table because they’re scrapping and fighting for everything.

Zac Holding heads in his second to put London Colney 3-1 up in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

They can make things difficult for us and to be fair to Stotfold, that’s what they did.

Zac Holding celebrates his second goal in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

“They’ve got a new manager and a few new players but with our quality, I still think we should have done better in front of goal.

Zac Holding celebrates his second goal in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

“When we went 1-0 up I thought we’d go on and win three or four.”

Loren Maxwell scores from the spot in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

Colney came into the game on the back of an entertaining 4-3 win at Baldock Town on Saturday, proof that they can pull it together when they want to.

Loren Maxwell and Gareth Price celebrate scoring in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

But the boss says more time is needed on the training pitch, and like most clubs, more luck is needed with injuries.

Jack Metcalfe makes a save in the match between Baldock Town and London Colney. Picture: DANNY LOO (Image: ©2018 Archant)

He said: “We haven’t got a big squad so when you have players out it does affect the team.

“We had Bobby Armstrong out tonight and he may have made a difference in the back line.

“They had a couple of chances where you thought we got lucky there but we had clearer chances that we should have put away.

“If you keep drilling them with the same things it will come right. How long it will take, we just don’t know.

“You can try to drill it into them verbally, you can do it on the training field but we need to be working the goalkeeper.

“We worked him a few times but we should have been more clinical in that final third.”

Their next chance to put things right comes on Saturday when their attention turns from the bottom of the table to the top and leaders Tring Athletic.

Charlery said: “It’ll be a good test but where we’ve come today thinking the job’s done before we started, on Saturday we’ve got to realise we can’t start slowly and build into as Tring are a good side.”