Carshalton Athletic manager Matt Howard said his squad must become "more street-wise" following defeat on Saturday.

The Robins went into a trip to Hythe Town off the back of a 3-0 home win against Faversham Town, but they lost by the same scoreline on the Kent coast.

"We got what we deserved on Saturday as we failed to match Hythe's desire to win," said Howard.

"Players need to stand up and be counted when the going gets tough, and I said as much in the dressing room afterwards."

Howard believes his squad can compete in this season's Ryman Division One South, but that his players need to be turning in consistent performances every week.

"No team should go from winning 3-0 one game to losing by the same score the next. We've only drawn one league game this season because our performances go from one extreme to the other," he added.

"If we aren't going to play an opponent off the park then let's at least show a determination not to be beaten ourselves."

Carshalton play host to Guernsey tonight (Monday, kick-off 7.45pm) and Howard reflected on the two sides' meeting in August, which the Green Lions won 2-1.

"If we play like we did at theirs then we stand a good chance of winning because that fixture is an example of where we played with passion but, unfortunately, we came up against an inspired goalkeeper," he said.

"If you get beaten despite giving as good as you get then no-one can really complain but, in my opinion, a team needs to regularly perform 'seven out of 10' to achieve that luxury."