Barkingside boss preparing his side for a relegation six-pointer away to Romford

Barkingside supremo Matt Frew believes Wednesday’s clash with Romford will go a long way to deciding who is relegated from the Ryman North Division.

Side are currently in 22nd, the final relegation position, with Boro just two points and one place above them.

The Cricklefields outfit have two games in hand over Romford but Frew believes they could be inconsequential should his team get the wrong result away from home.

“The game will determine our fate. Yes there are a lot of points left but it’s one of those game where a positive result can kick start a season,” said the Barkingside boss.

“If we lose we’ll have a mountain to climb. It’s not going to be an easy game. It’s not one that I’m looking forward to with my close links to Romford.

“But that’s the nature of the beast. Romford will probably be a little more confident than us but it’s down to the players to cut errors out.”

The Sky Blues travel to Ship Lane having lost their last seven games, a run that has seen them slip back into the drop zone.

It follows a four-match winning streak in February and Frew believes a return to the mentality during that period will help the side’s chances versus Boro.

“If the players turn up like when we went unbeaten, we’ll get something. But if we play like we have recently, we’ll lose,” added Frew.

“Romford have a decent attack. We’ve got to be better at the back. We have a threat going forward but the defence, as a team collectively, needs to improve.

“It’s down to the boys to pick themselves up. They’re too down in the dumps. They need to man up. I’ll accept my blame but they need to look at themselves.”