CLIVE Seeley insists Knowle must improve to achieve their aim of promotion this season despite thrashing 10-man Fairfield Villa 5-0 on the opening day of the season.
A brace from Jay Rendell and further goals from Joseph Drake-Cervantes, Callum Burston-Keeley and Hayden Purves saw the Robins score five second-half goals at the Draintech Stadium after Fairfield goalkeeper Tristan Ramsay saw red early on.
The result leaves Knowle top of the Midland Football League Division Two table after two matches although boss Seeley wants his side to improve over the coming weeks.
Seeley said: “We’ve got to improve if we’ve got any aspirations to do well this season, the only good thing was the result, the performance wasn’t up to the standards we’ve set in pre-season.
“They made it difficult for us but once the first goal went in, their heads went down, we could have been more clinical and scored more than five which is what frustrated me.
“I want to be there or thereabouts near the top of the table by the end of August.
“Fairfield had a few very good players out, we played against 10-men for 70 minutes, I’m not getting carried away with the result.
“We were marginally the better side in the first half but we were poor, the tempo was poor, choices on the ball were poor, the press was poor.
“I had a good go at the players at half time, they responded with a couple of early goals in the second half and it was game over.”
The game sparked into life on 17 minutes when Villa keeper Ramsay raced off his line and recklessly fouled Zak Parsons 30-yards from goal with the Robins man clean through.
Following the foul, the referee showed Ramsay a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity with Villa’s captain Liam Taylor taking the gloves for the remainder of the match.
Knowle were unable to make the man advantage count before the break as Villa held their own in a drab first half.
However, the Robins broke the deadlock early in the second period as Rendell found the net from a tight angle before doubling his tally for the game minutes later with a fine effort from distance.
Another long range strike from Drake-Cervantes increased Knowle’s lead before substitute Burston-Keeley beat the offside trap to score and fellow sub Purves headed in a corner to complete the scoring.
Knowle are next in action away at AFC Solihull on Tuesday, August 13 with kick-off at 6.20pm at Rumbush Lane.
