Brakes must find consistency ahead of derby double - Holleran

A 1-0 defeat to Biggleswade last Saturday means Brakes have now won just two of their last eight Southern Premier League fixtures, sliding down to seventh as a result.

And, speaking ahead of Tuesday’s FA Trophy replay with Altrincham, Holleran said his side cannot afford to keep dropping their levels if they are to secure an instant return to the Conference North.

“It was hard to take any positives out of Saturday,” he said.

“Tuesday (at Altrincham) was our best performance of the season and four days later it was our worst performance of the season.

“The conditions made it hard but you’ve still got to do the basics right.

“So many players were below par and it flows through the team.

“The performance lacked so much and you struggle to find a reason why.

“We had one or two missing but the team was still good enough to get a result against Biggleswade.”

The festive period sees Brakes travel to Bedworth on Boxing Day before entertaining Stratford on January 2.

And, while there have been plenty of positives to take from their FA Trophy campaign, Holleran knows the cup run has helped mask their poor league form.

“We have to be able to string some wins together in the league to be challenging at the right end.

“With the exception of the Trophy we’ve had a disappointing December.

“Now we’ve got two local games and two sides who will be desperate to beat us.

“Hopefully, we can get our best 11 on the pitch.

“But we know we have to be able to deal with situations better.”

Joe Halsall will return for Brakes after missing the midweek clash with Altrincham, while Jack Edwards is back from suspension.

Connor Gudger is now not expected to be fit until the new year as he struggles to overcome a troublesome groin injury.