Hawks boss Doswell: Failure to go up will cost some of the players another year here

Jonah Ayunga puts Hawks ahead against Dartford. Photo by Dave Haines

Some of the Hawks players who suffered National League South play-off semi-final heartbreak have played their last game for the club.

Boss Paul Doswell reflected on his side’s loss to Dartford and admitted there will be changes by the time the 2020/21 league season starts, probably in late September.

And he knows trying to improve Hawks’ Westleigh Park record is towards the top of his list of priorities.

Doswell has to analyse why his squad were able to go the entire away league season without losing - the only club in the top six tiers to do so - but at the same time only manage eight home wins in 17 matches.

Jonah Ayunga celebrates his goal against Dartford. Photo by Dave Haines.

Hawks won only four of their home league Saturday matches - against Concord last October, Bath and Chippenham in November and Hampton & Richmond in March.

They lost five times at Westleigh Park to Braintree, Hemel Hempstead, Maidstone, Wealdstone and St Albans.

Two of those teams - Braintree and St Albans - finished in the bottom four.

Hawks were also beaten at home by divisional rivals Dulwich in the final qualifying round of the FA Cup, and suffered a seventh home loss of 2019/20 at the weekend.

Jonah Ayunga celebrates scoring against Dartford. Photo by Dave Haines

Doswell was in the mood for home truths after watching Dartford come from behind to end his dreams of returning Hawks to the top table of non-league football at the first attempt.

‘Where they (the players) will be disappointed is we’ve really looked after them well this season, but you can’t lose the games at home we have - that’s a fact,’ he stated.

‘What they have done has probably cost some of them another year here, because this is a fantastic football club to be part of and there’s players here who, over the course of the season, haven’t produced what I wanted them to.

‘Away from home we’re the only unbeaten team in the top six divisions. That shows something, character. But at home we’ve never looked right and that’s something I have to fix for next season.

What have I done! Josh Taylor walks off after being shown the red card against Dartford. Photo by Dave Haines

‘Perhaps they concentrated more away, perhaps they were a bit too relaxed at home ...

‘We’ve lost five at home in the league, we lost to Dulwich in the FA Cup here, and we’ve lost again today.

‘We’ve won all our home midweek games but the Saturday ones have been a nightmare.

‘Ultimately we would easily have won this league if we hadn’t lost so often at home.

Jonah Ayunga fires in a shot against Dartford. Photo by Dave Haines

‘We’ve missed good chances and given away cheap goals, and it’s happened again today.’

One thing will be different at Westleigh Park when 2020/21 starts - there will be a £500,000 3G pitch. The grass one, used for the last time against Dartford, is set to be ripped up at the start of next week.

Nobody will be able to use the excuse of a pitch cutting up badly anymore as a reason for poor home performances and results.