Reno supporters demand better - Graham

WESTERN BUREAU:

Struggling FC Reno will have to find a way to avoid relegation, says the club's head coach, Michael Graham, after watching his team give up a one-goal lead to title chasing Humble Lion in Sunday's 1-1 draw in the Red Stripe Premier League.

"I am a little disappointed because at 1-0 up and playing well in the first half, we came out flat in the second-half and allowed Humble Lion too much time on the ball and a goal we were dreading happened," stated Graham.

Reno are precariously perched just above the relegation zone with 31 points in 10th place, but have breathing room between themselves and red zone teams Rivoli United (23) and Waterhouse FC (22).

That, however, is no comfort to the ambitious Graham, who believes winning a paltry seven matches out of 27 is not good enough for the three-time League winners.

According to Graham, the club's rich history and the passionate diehard supporters demand more from their players.

"We know where we are letting down the fans. We have an all-round decent squad of players, but for some reason, we cannot get the ball into the net. We tend to create plenty chances in match situations and score few.

"That is why we are not doing as well as we would like, and it's hurting the club's prospects going forward," reasoned Graham.

Roshane Sharpe has taken on the club's goal-getter role, netting his sixth goal of the season in Sunday's match against Humble Lion at Frome Sports Complex.

biggest headache

However, it's in defence that Graham has the biggest headache. Reno have conceded 40 goals in all this season, making them the league's second-worst defensive team behind ninth-placed Boys' Town FC (43).

"We realised that we are not doing a good job in defence, even though we have who I consider good players in there. We are not scoring enough, and on the other hand, we are conceding too many," Graham said.

"That is a recipe for disaster, and the club can do without that at the moment. However, we still have some critical matches ahead of us, so we must give our all to put ourselves at least mid-pack at the end of season," added Graham.