MIKE Fowler hopes his Redditch United side will bounce back from defeat against Needham Market when the Reds host Bury Town this weekend.
United saw their four-game winning run in the league come to an end following a 2-1 defeat at Bloomfields last time out.
The result means Redditch sit fifth in the Southern League Premier Central table, six points behind leaders Harborough Town who have a game in-hand.
And Fowler admits his side failed to execute their gameplan against the Marketmen and felt the Reds needed to raise their game against play-off chasing Needham.
Fowler said: “It’s difficult to understand. I questioned a bit of the preparation of the lads before the game on the way down.
“We had a gameplan which we couldn’t implement. We’re a little bit light in certain personnel that are able to go and deliver a gameplan which leaves us short against some of the better teams.
“They were better but they had a helping hand from the referee who gave them two opportunities to score that they shouldn’t have had in my opinion.
“We’ve lost to a really good team which is frustrating. We had seven wins out of 10 in the league and at some point something has got to give.
“I felt it over the last couple of games where we might fall short soon, when you go against the better teams in the division then we’ve got to be better.
“It’s about getting back on a positive foot and bouncing back. We’ve got the best home record in the league, we’ve got to utilise that [against Bury].”
Needham broke the deadlock on 20 minutes when Myles Cowling tussled with Luke Ward in the box and beat Tyrese Warmington at his near post.
Redditch equalised in style on 36 minutes as Robbie Bunn nutmegged two players before curling a low shot into the net from the edge of the penalty area via the aid of the post.
However, the home side reclaimed the lead five minutes into the second half when Needham broke quickly and Ben Hunter squared the ball to Seth Carroll-Chambers who finished into an empty net.
Redditch are next in action against Bury Town on Saturday, November 15 with kick-off at 3.03pm at the Valley Stadium.
United’s weekend fixture will kick-off three minutes after 3pm as part of the National League’s 3UP campaign.
The National League’s 3UP campaign aims to establish three promotion places into League Two from the fifth tier.
And the Southern League are supporting the campaign in solidarity with the National League for a day of action this weekend.
Games across 15 divisions in the non-league pyramid will kick-off at the delayed time of 3.03pm.
