Keith Millen Reflects on 3-1 Defeat to Sevenoaks Town: “Changes Are Needed”
Croydon Athletic manager Keith Millen expressed his frustration following a disappointing 3-1 loss at home to Sevenoaks Town, as his side’s inability to hold onto a first-half lead ultimately proved costly.
The first half had shown promise for the home side, with the Rams taking the lead and creating a number of chances to extend their advantage. However, Millen was quick to point out that a familiar issue reared its head once again – missed opportunities.
“We were good in the first half,” Millen admitted. “We scored and should have had two or three more, but that’s been an issue for us as long as I can remember. We’re missing chances, and that’s fine to an extent, but what we can’t afford to do is concede goals so easily in the second half.”
Croydon’s defensive fragility was evident after the break, with Sevenoaks Town capitalising on defensive mistakes to claim all three points. Millen did not shy away from acknowledging the severity of the situation.
“The goals we conceded were criminal,” he stated. “It’s just too easy for teams to get past us. The balance of the squad is not right. At the moment, we don’t look like keeping a clean sheet, and when you’re on a run like we are, that’s the first thing you need to focus on – making yourself difficult to break down and getting that clean sheet to build confidence.”
With defensive solidity a major concern, Millen revealed that changes are on the horizon. “I’ve got to look at the formation and the squad. We need to make ourselves harder to beat. We may need to alter the formation to be more solid, because at the moment we don’t look capable of shutting teams out.”
The manager also pointed to the difficulty of playing at Croydon’s home ground, which he felt was contributing to the team’s struggles. “Our pitch isn’t conducive to playing football right now,” Millen explained. “If it’s difficult to play, then you’ve got to make sure you’re hard to beat. We’re certainly not that at the moment.”
Millen also touched on his ongoing conversations with the players, emphasising that while they are disappointed with the result and the mistakes made, there is an underlying issue with naivety in defensive situations. “The players are trying, but the goals we conceded were just too easy. They literally went straight through us. We need to learn from that and address it, because we can’t continue like this.”
The manager made it clear that he will not accept this form continuing. “I’m really annoyed, and I can’t accept that. There will be changes, whether that’s in the formation or personnel. If the players don’t want to buy into the changes, then they won’t be playing, because everyone can see the problems we have.”
As Millen looks to address the defensive concerns and rebuild confidence in the team, Croydon’s focus must shift to ensuring they become harder to break down and find a way to string together consistent performances. The manager’s message was clear: changes are coming, and they are necessary to turn things around.
“It’s a big problem we’ve got,” Millen concluded. “I need to address it as the manager. We’ve got to make it right, and if we don’t have the players who can or want to do that, then we’ve got bigger problems.”
With Millen’s determination to fix the issues at hand, the coming weeks will be crucial for Croydon Athletic as they seek to stabilise their season.
