Stags boss blames concentration for recent run

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Jack Ball reports from Waltham Forest…

Waltham Forest manager Turgot Esendagli has put his side’s recent bad form down to the team knowing that they can’t attain promotion.

“I think knowing that promotion is out of our reach this season has affected our concentration recently which has put us on the back pedal during the last month or so,” said Esendagli after the draw against Newham.

Second-half goals from José Agua and recent signing Mekki Moussa were not enough for Waltham Forest to seal victory against a resilient Newham team, stretching the Stags’ winless run to eight.

Despite having to come from behind, it looked like Waltham’s difficult run of late would come to an end but, after letting their lead slip, a point is all they could take from the match.

The Stags’ bad form has seen the north-east London club slide to eighth in the league table and with just four league fixtures remaining, Waltham will be hoping to get back to winning ways quickly if they are to seal a top-half finish.

Within minutes Forest’s goal was tested, though goalkeeper William Hunt dealt with the danger confidently. After making a few errors in recent weeks, the young goalkeeper looked assured as he acrobatically denied a Newham effort that was destined for the top left corner.

It was the visitors who broke the deadlock after Fabio Miranda drove the ball into the roof of the Forest net from just inside the box. The midfielder almost doubled Newham’s lead with a curled effort towards the far post but this time Hunt tipped the ball wide for a corner. At half time, Forest had created few clear chances.

After the break, Esendagli’s side looked a completely different team with Luke Ifil and Hulusi Mustafa pulling the strings from midfield.

After eight minutes, their equaliser came through a great piece of team play. Solomon Ofori picked up the ball in a wide left position before cutting inside to pick out Mustafa. The central midfielder’s left-footed cross found Jose Agua who controlled the ball with his chest then fired it past the Newham goalkeeper.

Minutes later, some good fortune came Forest’s way. Right-back Ibrahim Sari’s wayward pass soared high into the air, eventually falling to Moussa who was unchallenged in the box. The striker’s deft touch towards goal was spilled by the keeper and the ball eventually found a way into the net to edge the home side in front.

Following a brilliantly weighted Ifil through-ball, Moussa should have doubled his tally when Agua unselfishly laid the ball off to him just yards from goal. This time, however, the striker failed to connect with the ball properly, slicing his effort wide.

Forest would pay for their missed opportunities in front of goal when Newham’s Jamal Nelson won the battle for the ball with Kemarr Salmon by the corner flag. The striker picked out his partner Vlad Sighiatan with a low cross who directed the ball across goal and into the top corner, costing Forest all three points.

Stags boss Esendagli was the first to admit his side needed shaking up a bit after a poor first-half performance.

“In the changing room [at half time], I told the players that, looking from the spectators’ angle, it was a poor game to watch and that I didn’t enjoy it myself at all. We needed to pass the ball more, to keep possession in order to dominate the second half.

“This would make the game more enjoyable to watch and I felt if we could do that, goals would definitely come. Going into the second half, I gave them a task to make a minimum of ten passes before we reached to the opposition goal area – unless, of course, they won the ball in the opposition’s half where they can attack more directly.”

Although still in search of their first win in almost two months, Esendagli was positive about his team as they look forward to their next campaign. “Despite an up and down season, we have developed solid partnerships, all over the pitch, in our team that are now really used to playing together.

“Looking forward to next season, we have already spoke with the players that are staying with us and we aim to build the team around them. By bringing in another five or six good, experienced players, we hope to be in a better position to compete for promotion.”

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