We need winners in dressing room says angry AFC Fylde boss Dave Challinor

A furious Dave Challinor questioned whether the AFC Fylde dressing room lacks winners after his side threw away three points in Saturday's defeat away to 10-man Dover Athletic.
Dave Challinor was furious to see his Fylde side concede two late goalsDave Challinor was furious to see his Fylde side concede two late goals
Dave Challinor was furious to see his Fylde side concede two late goals
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Dover Athletic 2 AFC Fylde 1: Ten men stun Coasters with late double

But despite having Anthony Jeffrey sent off halfway through the second period, Dover produced a remarkable comeback to win the game, Inih Effiong scoring twice in the final seven minutes.

“I’m not disappointed, I’m angry,” Challinor said. “My feelings are very different because we’ve thrown the game away.

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“I’ve got to look seriously at what is in the dressing room because too many times in recent weeks we’ve thrown points away when we should win games.

“You’ve got to be critical of yourself and of everyone in the dressing room. How many winners have we got in here? How many leaders have we got in here? How many within the group have got numerous promotions and trophies on their CV?

“When you look at it like that, it’s maybe not that many. That’s something we might need to look at.

“I work with them on a daily basis and you always ask yourself questions. Ability wise, they’ve got everything but questions have been answered for me here.

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“We’ve absolutely dominated the game and how we haven’t won it isn’t disappointing, it’s unacceptable.”

Challinor also criticised his players for failing to take responsibility once their opponents went down to 10 men.

He added: “You could just sense, not the tide turning, but that we were becoming sloppy. The game was almost becoming too easy for us.

“We spoke at half- time about that mentality of going and winning the game and doing the right things.

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“They had a change in system. You try and get a message out on the pitch and Crossy (Ryan Croasdale) was our spare man, so we needed him to want to get on the ball. But he was getting rid of it as if he didn’t want it.

“We then made mistake after mistake after mistake.

“Them going down to 10 men was probably the worst thing that could have happened because all of a sudden you want some composure.

“That should suit us down to the ground in terms of us moving the ball – and it does if people take responsibility. No-one took responsibility.

“It’s dead easy to come in afterwards and tell them, ‘You need to do this’ and ‘You need to do that’, but it makes no odds what goes on in the dressing room – it’s out there on the pitch.

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“We spoke about being composed in possession but we were almost rabbits in the headlights.

“You can point fingers for the goals. I thought Rowey (Danny Rowe) gave the ball away on the halfway line when he’s got control of it. Within 10 seconds it’s in our net.

“He has a shot at the other end which gets blocked by the keeper. It doesn’t go out and we switch off. One boot up the pitch and again our centre-halves get bullied all over the place. You’ve then lost the game.

“Anyone who was here knows there was only one team that should have won but we haven’t. That can’t continue.”

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The Coasters have only won three times away from home this season but remain sixth in the National League, even though they have lost further ground on top two Leyton Orient and Salford City.

Challinor’s men aren’t in league action again until December 22, when they welcome Ebbsfleet United to Mill Farm.

Their next fixture is a home clash against Stratford Town in the first round of the FA Trophy this Saturday.