AFTER questioning the desire of his players following their FA Trophy defeat last weekend, Frank Gray got the reaction he was looking for against Welling.

The Basingstoke Town manager made a number of changes in the wake of the defeat at Northwood and was happy with the way his side performed in claiming a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

“I was pleased with the reaction to last week and we got what we were looking for,” Gray said. “The desire and spirit were lacking last week but there were there for the whole game today.

“We’re slightly disappointed not to have won after leading but if we perform like that every week we will win more than we lose.

“It was always going to be tough today but we set about it well, closing them down quickly and working hard. That’s how we were getting results earlier in the season and we have got to get back to doing that again.”

One of the changes made by Gray saw Craig Atkinson replace Ross Kitteridge in goal and while the manager was disappointed with his side’s defending for Welling’s equaliser, he was quick to point out that Atkinson was not at fault.

“It was bad defending from a free kick for the goal and there was a bit of confusion,” Gray said. “Craig shouted for the ball to be cleared but a defender shouted ‘keeper’, which should not have happened.”

Next up for Town is a trip to St Albans tomorrow night (kick-off 7.45pm) – with Gray hoping for another result as he looks for his side to embark on a good run.

One player who will not be in the squad is striker Phil Ruggles, who has had his contract at the club cancelled by mutual consent after failing to secure a regular place in the team.

Gray admits that he is looking to bring more players to the club and one who might fit the bill is Reading-based striker Andy Forbes, who has been transfer-listed by Eastleigh despite scoring eight goals in 16 appearances so far this season.