Leatherhead manager Richard Brady has attacked people from outside the club for “throwing stones at them” during a poor run of results.

Prior to Tuesday night’s form-defying 3-0 away win at Crawley Down Gatwick, the leaders of Ryman League Division One, the Tanners had gone four league games without picking up any points.

Goals from Tommy Hutchings, Kevin Terry and Jerry Nnamani did the damage.

Brady said: “We had a crisis with injuries in that the goalkeeper was out, our central defender was out, the central midfielder was out, and our striker was away on honeymoon.

"People from outside the club moan and throw stones at us because they don’t know what is going on and all they see are the results.

“But as the management team, you have to put a positive face on it and although it is difficult sometimes, in truth, we were never worried.”

He added: “Against Ramsgate [which the Tanners lost 2-1], there was a point we had a 17 and 18-year-old in the centre of the midfield and that is never going to work.

“But against Crawley, we had got the spine of the team back, players who know how to win Ryman League games and it showed.”

The Tanners go to Whitstable this  weekend in the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy.

Brady is without the cup-tied Vernon Francis, and goalkeeper Matt Reed and Mark Simmons to injury.