It proved to be third time lucky for Spalding United as they got their first Southern League win under their belts.
However, manager Jimmy Dean was far from happy with the manner of his team’s 3-2 win, which saw them hit back from 2-0 down to grab the Premier Central points at Bromsgrove Rovers on Saturday.
The hosts went ahead after nine minutes and doubled their advantage midway through the first half before Josh McCammon pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.
Jack Roberts’ 76th-minute cross saw substitute Bart Cybulski spin and shoot for the equaliser and then Roberts fired home the stoppage-time winner with a low 20-yard free-kick under the home wall.
The 3-2 win came despite the Tulips losing captain Connor Johnson to an 82nd-minute sending-off for a second booking.
It brought victory after a draw and defeat but Dean promised a change of attitude from members of his team was needed if they were to be successful this season.
“It was shambolic to be honest, really, no excuses from me,” he told the club’s YouTube channel about his team’s start and defensive display.
“It’s a bit of a worry because it’s happened a few times. It’s not something I’m happy with. It’s not as positive as it should be after coming back from two goals down and then with ten men.
“You can’t keep winning football matches with starts like that.”
Dean said it was only when his team scored their second goal that they began to play as he had wanted them to and how they had prepared and delivered a blast to those players who he felt were not on board.
“If you want to play for me, with these teammates, for our chairman (who pays for it), this football club, these fans, you need to ask yourself. Because if you don’t, don’t be here.”
He felt his team had used a get out of jail free card to pull off the win and said: “At 2-0 down, we shouldn’t have been able to come back, playing against a back five. It was only sheer numbers and chances that we managed to pull through.”
No part of his team escaped criticism with Dean adding: “We’ve got to be more critical and ruthless in the attacking third. We’ve got to be more decisive and more responsible in the defensive third, more switched on. In the midfield, we have to get the basics right. We’ve been mauled.”
However, Dean did say his squad had been hit hard by injuries and would be asking the chairman to release funds to bolster his depleted ranks.
“We’ve lost two goalkeepers, our left-back, our right-back and two centre-backs in three games. It’s tough to take.
“I need to speak to the boss, who’s in Marbella, and see if he can help me out.”
Spalding face another away game on Saturday with a trip to Stourbridge but hopes of being back at the revamped Sir Halley Stewart Field for Monday’s bank holiday derby encounter against Stamford have been dashed.
Further delays in the arrival of a container from China containing important parts for the club’s new artificial pitch means the ground will not be ready in time and the match has been reversed to the Daniels’ Zeeco Stadium.
Club officials are now hoping to have the ground ready in time for game against Kettering Town on Tuesday, September 9, meaning they will have played their first six games of the season on their opponents’ grounds.
Tulips: Chapman, Sembie-Ferris, Bondswell, Blythe, Johnson, Lawlor (Thompson), Roberts (Nicholson), McCammon (Sheriff), Clifton (Cybulski), Sani (Bendle), Ceesay.
Attendance: 460.
