ROB SMITH was left ruing injuries after Whyteleafe went down 2-0 to Merstham on Tuesday night.
Smith, a former Merstham caretaker manager, did not have a happy return to his former stomping ground with Leafe missing "four or five" first team regulars as well as manager John Fowler, who was running a marathon in Ireland.
"We have come here under-strength, that's the problem," the first team coach said. "We had to change the formation around and we had a few players playing in position they aren't used to. With the personnel we had available, we though that would be the best formation to give us a chance of getting a result.
"We were under-strength and slightly under-par but they are a good side at home, they press you hard and it was never going to be an easy match.
"We had four or five missing. Jensen [Grant] is still struggling with a broken toe, Tom Pratt was working, Roscoe Dsane can only play one game a week and Louis Hollingsworth is still missing after his collision a few weeks back.
"It's not about me, it's about the team. Merstham is a nice little club but it would have been nice to get one over on them after not getting the job myself but overall it's about the team."
Leafe turned their attention to the FA Trophy this week when they host Dunstable, a game Smith is looking forward to.
"It's a game the club want to win because of the financial rewards but also it's the second biggest cup we play in," he said. "We will give them the respect they deserve given that they are a bit of an unknown entity."
