5:42pm Tuesday 26th August 2008
By Graham Moody
Croydon Athletic manager Dave Garland was critical of his side’s defending despite picking up their first points of the season over the weekend.
The Rams beat Eastbourne Town 3-2 away on Saturday and then drew 3-3 with fellow promotion hopefuls Kingstonian on Monday, only being denied all three points by an 89th minute penalty.
That was Kingstonian’s second penalty of the match and the fourth Croydon conceded in three games, a statistic that annoyed Garland.
He said: “We should have won against Kingstonian. I’m very disappointed.
“We’ve given away two penalties, that’s not good. That’s four penalties in two games and we have conceded too many goals which is something that seriously needs looking at. We are not going to get promotion if we give away too many goals.
“The last three games we have been infront in every one of them but we don’t manage to hold on, we’ve only won of them. Something is not right and we have got to put that right.”
Garland gave a debut to new signing striker Omari Coleman from Bromley against Eastbourne and he made an immediate impression with the goal of the game in the 34th minute, ghosting past three defenders to put the Rams 2-1 up after Jeremiah Olusanya had opened the scoring.
Bryan Glover put Croydon 3-1 up before the break and they held on until the 90th minute when Eastbourne scored again.
Coleman further endeared himself to his new club by scoring twice on Monday against Ks.
The striker converted the first of three penalties in the eighth minute to put Croydon ahead but Dean Lodge levelled.
Captain Danny Waldren rifled in a stunning free-kick to put the Rams ahead again but when keeper Jack Smelt was judged to have fouled Bobby Traynor in the box, the striker equalised.
Croydon went ahead again for the third time in the 51st minute when Coleman headed in De Bolla’s cross but they were denied three points when the referee spotted a handball in the box and Traynor snatched a draw.
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