PORTHLEVEN manager Graham Blake says his side “didn’t turn up” as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Dobwalls on Saturday.

An opening-day 4-1 defeat at home to Sticker was followed by an improved performance despite a 3-0 loss at early pacesetters Mousehole on Tuesday night, but a disappointing start on Saturday saw them go two goals down at Jenkins Park.

Ross Duncan pulled one back before the break with his first competitive goal for the Fishermen, but a third goal for the Dingos, plus the dismissal of captain Hugh Howlett for two bookable offences, put paid to any hopes of a revival.

The Fishermen are one of three teams yet to earn a point in the South West Peninsula League Premier West this season.

“We just didn’t turn up,” Blake said. “I gave them quite a lot of praise, I know we lost 3-0 to Mousehole on Tuesday night but it was two wonder goals and a mistake from our defence and it was 0-0 in the second half.

“I gave them the praise going into this game thinking we’ve turned the corner and then we just didn’t turn up. They just wanted it more than us and before you know it, we’re 2-0 down and you’re just on the back foot again.”

Blake’s Port squad has undergone plenty of change over the summer, with the departures of experienced players including Dan Stidwell and Matt Fox leading to a raft of new additions, and although they may need more time to get settled, Blake was still hoping for a better start.

“It is a new team, but I expected more, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I thought we’d do better than we have, but maybe it’s a bit of a wake-up call. But I said to the lads yesterday that I’m not going anywhere, and I don’t expect them to, we’ve just got to roll our sleeves up and it’ll come good.

“We’ve got to keep going and keep staying as a team and as a unit and things will get better.”

He added: “We’ve got to be more aggressive sometimes and a bit more forward thinking and I think it’ll come, but no excuses we’ve got to be better.”

But despite his side’s failure to take a point from their opening three games, Blake is certainly not pushing the panic button yet and trusts that the results will come.

“I’ve been in this position before as a manager and lost three or four on the trot and then gone on and lost one all season,” he said. “Falmouth did it last year, they had a rocky start and ended up about fourth in the league.

“It’s confidence, and when you have a tough start you’ve just got to roll your sleeves up, keep going until that result comes, and once it goes you see things pick up and the confidence grows amongst the team.”

He added: “There’s no lack of team morale. It’s a really close-knit group, they all go out together and have fun together, so I haven’t got a problem with that. We’ve just got to perform on the pitch, no excuses.”

  • Porthleven welcome Falmouth Town to Gala Parc on Wednesday night (kick-off 7.30pm). Follow live text coverage of that game on the Packet website.