“OUR players can turn this situation around” – that was the rallying call issued by Petersfield Town’s chairman ahead of their trip to Newport IOW tonight (Tuesday).

Graeme Moir has backed the playing personnel to show the doubters what they can do again following two heavy defeats in the last seven days.

The Rams lost 7-0 to Hamble Club last Tuesday night and then they got beaten 10-0 at Blackfield and Langley on Saturday.

However, they showed the kind of form they are capable of when they beat Amesbury Town 4-1 in the league earlier in the month, and it is that kind of performance Moir believes they need to rediscover now.

The chairman said: “Both myself, the committee, our volunteers and our supporters all believe in the players and we know they are more than capable of holding their own at this level.

“We have plenty of talent in the squad and we just need to believe in ourselves going forward.

“Confidence will be hit by the recent heavy defeats and Jim Macey deciding to leave the club but that is all in the past now – we can’t change history we can only shape the future and that is where all of our focus now needs to be.

“A couple of positive results and things will look very different in a few weeks. But to get there we now need to work hard to cut out the mistakes that are costing us goals and work on the aspects of our game which will bring the goals to get us the results we all crave.

“What I saw in that Amesbury game and in pre-season against teams at the same level as us is we were competitive and we were playing some excellent and exciting styles of play.

“In between that though something has not gone right for us and that form has disappeared. We need to look at how we rediscover that going forward and work hard in between the matches so that we gain that extra edge which will get us moving in a positive direction again.”

The Rams cross the Solent tonight to play Newport IOW in the first round of the Hampshire Senior Cup. The winners will travel to AFC Bournemouth in the second round.

Moir added: “The pressure is off of us tonight and it is a chance to have a break from the league and enjoy taking part in a cup tie.

“I’m sure not many people outside of the club expect us to win but for us we can go to Newport and start again in some respects by getting the past two results out of our systems by having a positive evening.

“The chance to play AFC Bournemouth in the next round is a great incentive for both sides to try and win this game. Our players are good enough to go there and get a result – let’s see what happens on the night.”

Petersfield Town travel to Newport IOW in the first round of the Hampshire Senior Cup tonight, kick-off 7.45pm. Address for ground is: St George’s Park, St George’s Way, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 2QH.