Haverhill Rovers manager Ben Cowling has challenged his side to tighten up defensively after they slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Stowmarket on Saturday.

Rovers conceded all three goals in the first half, with the result continuing a worrying trend in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division, where they have been shipping an average of two goals per game.

The defeat followed an eventful 5-4 FA Vase victory over Ely City, but Cowling knows his side cannot afford to keep leaking goals if they are to make progress this season.

“It was a really strange game, to be honest,” he said. “We probably got behind their defence to the byline more times in the first half than we have in any other half this season, yet we find ourselves 3-0 down (at half-time).

“It was a basketball-type, end-to-end game, it’s just that Stowmarket were far more clinical than we were.”

Cowling felt Haverhill had done enough in attacking areas to trouble their opponents, but was disappointed with the final ball and the side’s work rate.

“We hit the post at 0-0 and had other good chances, but Stowmarket defended those positions better than us and fair play to them,” he said.

“We need to look at ourselves. Our work rate, heart and desire we've shown for the past few weeks just wasn’t there for 45 minutes, and that’s disappointing.”

Cowling also praised Stowmarket’s Darren Mills, who impressed against Rovers for the second time this season.

“Stowmarket have got some good players,” he said. “Mills has been excellent in both games against us this season, and he was probably the best player on the pitch.”

The manager insists the defensive problems cannot be blamed solely on the back four or goalkeeper Alex Archer, stressing that the whole team must take some responsibility.

“It’s a collective effort,” he said. “By no means is it just the fault of the defence or Alex Archer.

“We can’t score five goals every game, so we know if we want to be successful, it’s something we need to address. We're always aware and active of what’s going on, but we need a bit more defensive nous.”

There have been some encouraging signs, however, with Cowling believing individual errors that previously plagued the side have become less frequent.

“On a positive note, the individual errors that plagued us to a large extent have disappeared, so we’ve definitely made some steps forward,” he added.

“We want to continue to be an attacking team, but we need to show some calmness and a bit more grit and determination.”

Rovers now have two home games in the space of four days, with struggling Heacham visiting The New Croft tomorrow (3pm) before Lakenheath make the trip on Tuesday evening (7.45pm).