Angry Thompson lets rip at barren strikers (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Angry Thompson lets rip at barren strikers

9:49am Thursday 7th February 2008 in Football By Nick Mashiter

Devizes Town boss Paul Thompson has blasted his mis-firing strikers after the club was dumped out of the Wiltshire Senior Cup on Saturday.

The Nursteed Road outfit missed a host of chances as they lost their quarter-final clash at Calne Town 2-0, leaving Thompson furious at their lack of killer instinct.

"We can't score, our centre forwards have got no quality," he raged.

"They are paid to do a job and however much you get, if you can't score you can't win games. We have forwards who can't score for toffee.

"In the working world if people don't do their jobs they get kicked out, and that is what I might have to do."

Devizes went behind following Daniel Lardner's second minute effort, which Thompson blames himself for, but he believes his players should have responded.

He said: "I take full responsibility for the goal. The lad had a speculative shot from 35 yards and I was flat footed.

"I went to step back and put my foot in a divot the size of a small crater and stumbled backwards.

"But it was in the second minute of the game.

"There was 88 minutes left and we could have gone on to win 6-1 if we had taken our chances."

They have an early opportunity for revenge when the Lilywhites visit Nursteed Road in the Toolstation League Premier Division on Tuesday, after Saturday's trip to Chard.

And Thompson dismissed suggestions their season was over. "We are playing to get the highest finish and I was never brought to this football club to win cups," he said. "My remit at the start of the season was to keep the club in the league, which we have done, and for the players to enjoy their football, which they are doing."