"Since I took charge, each time we have suffered a setback the lads have responded in the best way possible," he explained.

"We have been scraping through games with wins in the last few weeks and sometimes the result can mask the performance. After Saturday some of the lads admitted they sensed the team was little over confident before the game, which is very honest."

But Gardiner has faith in his players and their ability to bounce back: "On Saturday we missed a real leader on the pitch with both Steve (Walters) and John (Robertson).

"Now we must go to Welling, which will be a battle because they're struggling for points at the bottom. Our attitude has to be spot on. We will have a look at things this week and make sure we get back on track."

Both John Robertson and Neil Illman will be eligible following suspension. Mark Devlin will also be in contention for another start after impressing Gardiner on Saturday.

Jamie Bates could be fit to return from injury in time for the Trophy clash with Colwyn Bay but Gardiner is refusing to rush Walters back following a mystery knee injury.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.