After being winless in September, Jay Saunders and the Tonbridge Angels will hope that October brings them better National League South joy as they start the League month with the visit of Hemel Hempstead Town to Longmead on Saturday. 

October didn’t start well for the Angels though as they were beaten in the DFDS Kent Senior Cup on Tuesday by Chatham Town, which is why we found manager Saunders in a pensive mood when we spoke to him this week. 

“I think you saw where we are confidence wise on Tuesday,” Saunders admitted.

“They scored twice just before the break and some of our heads went down and we struggled to pick ourselves up. We are going through a spell at the moment where the confidence is low with the body language too and that is something we need to address!”

“We are at the stage at the moment where every mistake we make is being punished – that is the way it goes but the only way we can get out of it is if I keep working hard and work with the players.” 

“I’m learning a lot about my players at the moment. Last season when everything was going well it was easy, but it’s when they’re not going so well that there’s a few of them that you learn more about.”

“I told them on Tuesday night that I think I’ve signed all bar two of the players in the dressing room and there’s a few of them that I’ve found out a lot about, and there are a few that are letting themselves – and me – down a little bit and it’s something that we are addressing and we will get right.” 

“It has been frustrating as in a lot of games we have not been far away – for spells we have played good football and look a good side.”

“But we have got a soft underbelly about us at the moment which is a concern and something that I must address. It is annoying – I would have liked to have had a run in the Senior Cup, but it was not to be.” 

“We played two boys at Chatham – Charlie Pegrum from Leyton Orient and Sonny Fish from Crawley Town – and I think both of them showed good energy and what they are capable of, but we need to get a few more new faces and we will.” 

“I would have loved to leave it every week and be winning games, but we are not in that position at the moment so it’s quite simple – I’m employed to win games of football and we’re not at the moment so I have to look at it and ask if it’s me, is it the players and try to put things right.” 

“We are only ten games in, but I know that if we are not winning games we are not at the right end of the table – we have not scored in seven of the ten games we have played and that tells you a lot!”

“The League is so tight that if you go and win three on the bounce you are suddenly in or around the Play Off places.”

“At the same time, if we do not get a win soon and get three points on the board, all of a sudden you become detached from the top half of the table and that is what we do not want!”