Bury Town manager Ben Chenery says they will 'keep pushing' while play-offs is mathematically possible following painful home defeat to Felixstowe & Walton United
It may now require something akin to a miracle for Bury Town to extend their season in the play-offs following a 3-1 home defeat to Felixstowe & Walton United but Ben Chenery is not ready to throw in the towel yet.
Tuesday's defeat came amid a punishing injury list which had seen them travel to Pitching In Isthmian League North Division leaders Aveley on Saturday with just 13 fit players before falling to a damaging 4-0 defeat.
They host ninth-placed Maldon & Tiptree on Saturday (3pm) in 12th place and a 12-point gap to overturn in 14 games to still achieve their season target of a play-off spot.
To make matters worse, Norwich City loan goalkeeper Sam Blair is sidelined for likely another month with ankle ligament damage while replacement Ben Mayhew is suspended this weekend following a red card at Aveley. That came at 3-0 down in the 81st minute, with striker Olly Hughes having had to don the gloves for the remainder of the game.
It appears likely the club’s contacts with Ipswich Town could help them cover the one-game ban.
Tuesday had seen Chenery deprived of Norwich City loan goalkeeper Sam Blair (ankle ligaments) Ryan Jolland (suspended) as well as Joe Hood, Jake Chambers Shaw, Carlos Edwards and Angus Mills (all injured).
Meanwhile, Felixstowe had their own eye-watering injury list, almost stretching to a team of players.
With Will Gardner and Dan Gilchrist called back from spells to get game time at Newmarket and Thetford respectively, the depleted hosting Blues dominated the first period.
But they were not able to make it count from numerous chances before Billy Holland got free at a corner on the stroke of half-time before lifting the ball into the roof of the net.
The Seasiders then took control with dual-registered Walsham-le-Willows talent Keiran Twinn firing in a thunderbolt from 30 yards in the 56th minute before Joe Whight tucked away a confusing penalty decision less than two minutes later.
Will Gardner’s 83rd minute header from a Ross Crane free kick came in a late rally from the hosts but ultimately, it was all too little too late.
Reflecting on the defeat, Chenery said: "We are down to bare in lots of ways as we've had to call people back from loans and just trying to get a team together has been difficult.
"But having said that, I thought the first 45 minutes we were excellent but you have to be ruthless in the 18-yard box.
"Olly Hughes and Cemal both had chances and if you put one of those away it's a different story as the crowd lift and we lift as a squad and as a team. And we didn't."
He was disappointed to see his players not show the hunger to clear the danger from a rare Felixstowe corner on the stroke of half-time which led to the Seasiders taking a 1-0 lead into the interval.
"It's the hunger to want to defend, You can't give people that," he said.
"Footballers have to realise that defending set pieces and corners is such an important part of the game.
"It is just the hunger from the opposition of wanting to get to the ball before you and we switched off, got flat footed and got punished.
"Bare in mind we had like 12 corners before that."
Within 13 minutes of the second half starting they found themselves 3-0 down as Twinn's long-range strike was added to by a penalty from Whight.
"It was madness, you couldn't write it really," Chenery said.
"We started a bit tentative second half I suppose, as goals flew in.
"I think at the moment it is everything that teams hit against us at home flies in. It's madness.
"We then had a rocky 5-10 and the referee's given a penalty, I'm not sure what for, I didn't really concern myself with it.
"But follow-throughs are not really given. You can always tell if the opposition bench don't appeal for it as their opposition bench appealed for everything.
"They didn't appeal for it, so it was interesting it was given."
He added: "But look, they rocked us for five, we went 3-0 behind. We rallied and came again, bringing young Ben Haddoch on who is 16 which is wonderful for him.
"We're very threadbare with players at the moment but we'll keep pushing on, that's for sure."
And 'keep pushing on' is very much how he sees their target of a play-off place, despite the 12 point gap and games running out.
He said: "You've just got to keep going. I'm a manager who will keep pushing and keep pushing, that's my nature and that will never change.
"They've got to be the same and want to push.
"We had the year when Covid hit when we were flying and I think that group of players were flying and I think we'd have come close.
"I just think we're flat a little bit. We've got loads of injuries and suspensions - it's unprecedented again how many injuries we've had.
"Balls fly the other side of the post. I remember being at Ram Meadow when we're winning games late 2-1 and we keep pushing and pushing.
"We're not in that stage, things aren't going for us but we've got to make own luck, that's for sure."
Asked if he needed a reaction from the players on Saturday he said: “We had a good reaction for the Dereham game and then went to Aveley.
“It’s disappointing because over Christmas we had really good momentum with Stowmarket and Sudbury then we didn’t have a game for two weeks which killed us a little.
“Then we beat Dereham and we’ve had numerous injuries and we have 13 fit players to go to the league leaders.
“So we haven’t had game momentum which is disappointing.
“We’ll see if we get a reaction, look, there’s a reaction first half, we were fantastic.
“We absolutely battered them first half without putting them on the canvass so that is the only disappointing thing.
“But look, football is crazy, football is mad; it never surprises me. We just have to keep pushing.”
The Blues will have a quick chance to get revenge when Felixstowe visit the recently renamed Atalian Servert Ram Meadow Stadium next Tuesday for a last 16 shootout in the Turners Hyundai Suffolk Premier Cup (7,45pm).
