BELEAGUERED Stourport Swifts boss Rod Brown believes his players are suffering from a crisis of confidence.

It follows this week’s disappointing 2-0 FA Vase exit to Midland Combination frontrunners Brocton on their home Walshes Meadow patch.

Brown said: “Brocton are top of their league and they are a side that are used to winning. They’ve only lost once in their last 16 games.

“We started well and took the game to them early on – but once Brocton scored, there was a total change in our body language and from then on, we were particularly poor and didn’t deserve to get anything out of the game”.

But Brown said: “I don’t believe in a knee-jerk reaction and I’m not going to start beating my lads up. You get inconsistency with youngsters and I need to work on their confidence”.

Brown has moved to bring more experience to the side by snapping up midfield man Karl Fellows from Alvechurch.

It follows the arrival of former Stourbridge goalkeeper Lewis Solly.

Brown also has another experienced Glassboy Sam Smith back up and running in central defence.

Brown said: “We’ve seen hardly anything of Kevin Spencer, Lewis Pountney and Jamie Hyde this season and they’re big players for us.

“Lewis doesn’t resume training until November 6, while both Kevin and Jamie are trying to shake off injuries and they make a difference when they’re available to us.”

Swifts bid to get back into winnings ways when they entertain Heath Hayes on Saturday in a Midland Alliance fixture