Rocks picked up their first Isthmian premier division victory of the season with a 2-1 triumph over Wingate & Finchley at Nyewood Lane on Saturday thanks to goals from Tommy-Lee Higgs and Callum Barlow.
The win came after an FA Cup victory at Aylesbury Vale Dynamos that set up this Saturday’s second qualifying round tie at home to Margate, kick-off 1pm.
The positivity from those results has lightened the mood in the camp but Blake has reminded his charges there is a ton of hard work to get through to fully recovery from a lacklustre opening period.
He said: “The win over Wingate & Finchley was just what we needed after a difficult start and I must say it was pleasing to get two wins on the spin. The lads put one hell of a shift in that’s for sure and I thought the crowd were excellent as well. Even at 1-0 down they were still backing us and we got our reward as did they.
“We’re not getting carried away and it is going to be a long road to a full recovery but to a man the players were absolutely outstanding; to respond and get back the way we did gives me real hope. We have had eight players out injured recently and we have just had to get on with it. Of course, when some of those players return we hope to get stronger because of it.
“I think you can see that we have got good players when we pass and move quickly and get the ball in to the front players we can be a real threat; and I thought we could have actually won more comfortably. On our day we can be a handful for anyone. But let’s not get away.”
Blake revealed that he spoke about Rocks fan and volunteer Richard Essen, who is battling cancer, in his team talk and reminded his players of their responsibilities representing the club.
He added: “I spoke about Richard, who we know for his unswerving support for the club and his tremendous efforts as a volunteer on the Tannoy over the years here at Nyewood Lane.
“Richard has cancer and is very poorly and I told the lads about his bravery and the fact that he still comes to cheer them on when perhaps he should be resting.
“His spirit is amazing and I pointed out they are only looking for a win, he is fighting for his life and his courage is amazing. He is an inspiration and I hope that the message was taken in by the lads and that in some way that Richard and his bravery contributed to our win.”
The cup clash against Margate will be a tricky tie to negotiate, says Blake, but he has done his homework on the Isthmian League South East Division side. He said: “I went to see play in the cup replay against Hayes & Yeading last week and they are a good side and will cause us problems. But we will cause them problems too! We hope for a good football game and that we can continue the upwards trajectory and get the victory.”
