Ramsgate head coach Lloyd Blackman says his players need to become more streetwise.

They were leading Thamesmead 2-1 on Saturday but conceded two goals in stoppage-time and lost 3-2.

It was a third straight defeat for Blackman’s side, who have gone seven games without a win in Bostik South.

“That one was painful,” Blackman admitted. “The boys worked immensely hard and we didn’t see it coming. Until the 90th minute, I felt we were in complete control of the situation, so it was a real hammer blow.

“But that’s 10 or 11 times this season when we’ve thrown a lead away. It’s becoming a fairly consistent issue and that’s something we’ll have to address.

“The boys are giving everything, they’ve been leading in games and haven’t been able to see them out.

“They’re trying to be perfect all the time and when you’re leading a game 2-1, the emphasis is not on us to be perfect any more, it’s on the opposition.

“We just need to be more streetwise and play percentage football. We’d still create chances playing that way but we don’t need to be so specific, so spot-on and perfect when we’re winning. There’s something within the group mentally that is eating away at us when we’re trying to cross the finish line.”

Blackman confirmed coach Mick Santer has left the club along with Dan Lawrence. So what’s the message to the rest of his players, with safety virtually assured and the play-offs out of reach?

“They’re playing for their shirts,” Blackman said. “If players feel that in these last three months there’s nothing to play for, they’ve got another thing coming.

“We’re not that far away. If there were wholesale issues and problems regarding performances or the team, I could understand criticism.

“But it’s only little things that are stopping us from being the side we feel we can be.”

Ramsgate are away to Whyteleafe on Saturday and Sittingbourne on Tuesday.