Bognor Regis Town host Hendon in the Isthmian premier division at Nyewood Lane on Saturday and then head the short distance to Oaklands Park to face Chichester City on Bank Holiday Monday in a keenly anticipated West Sussex derby clash.
They do so on the back of a battling performance that earned them a point from a 2-2 draw at Hastings United last week – thanks to goals from Tommy-Lee Higgs and Callum Barlow — after trailing 2-0 with just 15 minutes to go.
Blake has seen his side garner a single point from the nine available after unlucky losses at Cheshunt in the league opener and at home to Lewes. He says better defending and taking chances created in front of goal is key to improving results.
He added: “We’ve seen plenty to like in terms of our structure and the players’ determination to get it right and now we just need to focus on both ends of the pitch; get our defending right and find the back of the net more often.
“These two games are crucial. If we can address the issues we have had then we know that there is a lot of positivity to be gained from the possibility of success. But we have already seen that a lot of teams are of a similar standard in this league and we must learn from our season so far.
“At Hastings we showed a resilient attitude and that component is essential. Hendon have had a great start with two wins and Chichester have points on the board too. We know just how fantastically coached they are with Dabba (Darin Killpartrick) and Miles (Rutherford) and the staff there.
“They did a brilliant job last season to get promoted and deserve a lot of credit. It was fitting that they went up given that they tragically lost their assistant boss Graeme Gee and you could feel there was an energy amongst them playing in his memory — and that was lovely to see.
“Chi will be up for the game and it should be a big crowd with lots of local pride at stake. Our players are aware of what the game means to our supporters — we are really looking forward to it.”
Blake says utility man Tommy Block will probably miss both games after picking up a calf injury while he awaits updates on the fitness of Dan Gifford, who missed out at Hastings with a knock. Keeper Ryan Hall is still missing and Joe Besant will continue as his replacement.
