Comrades boss calls for more from his side after Derby day draw

The Comrades took the lead in the first half through Adiel Mannion, but a string of further chances went begging before Alex Campana levelled things up for Kings with less than 10 minutes left to play.

“If we want to get promotion then these are the kind of games we have got to win,” said Vipond. “At half-time we are 1-0 up and should have had three points in the bag, but then we let it slip.

“We’ve gone into the bar afterwards and people were saying it could have been four, five or six nil.

“Our keeper hasn’t really had a save to make all game but we didn’t take our chances and then they made us pay.”

The Comrades have made a promising start to the SSML Premier Division campaign and sit third with two games in hand on table-topping Tring Athletic.

However, Vipond is adamant that he needs to see more from his side if they are to live up to their billing as title favourites.

“I’ve said to the players that part and parcel of being title contenders is that we have to be winning these games 1-0 and keeping clean sheets.

“Everyone wants to go four or five goals up but that only happens now and again, so we need to stop conceding goals.”

Despite his frustration at Saturday’s result, Vipond says he is pleased with the strength of his new-look Berko squad following a number of arrivals over the summer.

“What I will say is that we have got the best squad that we have had since the club reformed,” he added. “We have just got to make sure that we are winning games like the one on Saturday.”

> For a full match report from Saturday’s game, see page 77.