WESTFIELDS manager Sean Edwards says his players have to realise that the season is nine months long after conceding the title hopes are over.

The Midland Football League Premier Division crown looked like it could have been heading to allpay.park after Edwards' team won their opening 10 games.

A fairytale run to the first round of the FA Cup added to the excitement, but since Westfields bowed out of the competition in November, their season has derailed.

A total of 23 points out of 48 have been accumulated since Westfields lost to Curzon Ashton, with a poor return of just six out of their last six games.

Westfields needed a late Richard Greaves goal to salvage a draw at home to Coventry Sphinx last Saturday, while leaders Alvechurch ran out 2-1 winners at title rivals Lye.

"We had the players to do it all, but losing some players and the drive of one or two others because they've not been at the races has cost us," admitted Edwards.

"The season is nine months long and you've got to commit properly.

"This is the year where we had the main opportunity and Alvechurch weren't even in it.

"But what they've been able to do is to keep clean sheets.

"If you're in it, you've got to be in it for nine months because come April, you don't have a second chance for that season.

"We've let ourselves down from December 1 onwards.

"There is no doubt about it that we're as good as any team in this league, if not better.

"At the start of the season, we won 10 games, but only played one away game.

"Then all of the games that were called off because of FA Cup games were away on a Saturday, so they ended up being midweek.

"You have half a dozen players who have given you the commitment for the whole season, then you've got your key players that haven't.

"It makes a difference.

"The players have got to turn up for the nine months and that is what's let us down.

"It's so disappointing."

Westfields coach Andy Bevan said he wouldn't have swapped the club's FA Cup run for the world, but playing a lot of midweek away games is hard.

"We knew we had a great chance and after winning those 10 games, you give yourself a benchmark.

"But since November, we've done three training sessions, so it's no secret what has gone wrong.

"Yes we had a great FA Cup run and wouldn't swap it for the world, but if we can't train, we can't keep our shape of what we want to work on.

"We've got the players and staff to do it, but we need to be able to train.

"When you play away on a Tuesday, some players can't get out before 5pm because of work, you then get to the ground and sometimes have to change straight away.

"I'm not trying to make excuses, that's part of it and we wouldn't have swapped it for the FA Cup run.

"But it's incredibly hard.

"The boys are getting back at Hereford at 1am the next morning and have got to go to work the next day.

"It's a massive drain on them, but it's the commitment you want to get out of this league.

"We've just got to do the best we can do and try and get in the top three.

"It's still a massive improvement of where we were last year, but we knew how tough this league is."