JUSTIN Gardner has said Aveley lack the “mental strength” to beat sides below them in the table, after they drew 2-2 with Great Wakering Rovers on Saturday.

The Millers looked set to fall to defeat at Burroughs Park but two goals in the second half from top scorer Marcus Elliott saw the points shared.

Junior Baker could have won it when his late header hit the crossbar but Gardner believes his side need to grind out results against the teams struggling in the division.

“We should have won this game,” said the Aveley manager. “With respect, we need to beat teams like Great Wakering if we are to challenge for the play-offs. We aren't not winning these games because the players aren’t good enough. It is like we have some sort of a mental block when it comes to winning against teams in the bottom half.”

The Millers have dropped points to four of the bottom six in the past six weeks, but have enjoyed success against sides in the top half, beating leaders Needham Market last month.

And Gardner says his side need to develop a mental toughness.

“To come back from two goals down shows the quality in this team and I will make some changes as we look to find the form that took us on that 11-match winning run earlier this season.”

Aveley started the match on top, but it wasn’t until 25 minutes that Aveley created their first real opening and it came after a Rovers lapse in concentration.

Skipper Nick Skelton slipped allowing Tyler Devlin in but, instead of advancing on the goal, his attempted lob cleared Wakering keeperAdam Seal but also the bar.

Rovers were growing in confidence and they opened the scoring when a deep cross went beyond Teddy Nesbitt to Billy Radley and his header from an acute angle bounced off the crossbar leaving Eljay Worrell the easiest of tap-ins.

And it was 2-0 on the stroke of half-time and it was a stroke of inspiration. Sloppy play from Nesbitt saw him robbed by Tom Ranger and Billy Radley, who hadn’t stopped running, sent a superb bicycle kick inside the near post, with Marrable unable to stop the ball going in.

The Millers got the goal they deserved with 10 minutes of the second half played. Marcus Elliot scored it after Justin Gardner’s side had won the first and second headers from a set-piece.

And it was the same man that brought the visitors level with 20 minutes of the game to play.

A deep cross wasn’t dealt with by the Rovers defence and Elliott guided the ball home from a standing position.

And it was Aveley who were seemingly the side that would go on and push for the win, their best chance coming when Baker crashed a header back off the bar with 10 minutes left on the clock.

And this woke Rovers up. First Stuart Hepburn nodded a header inches past the far post before Radley bundled a header narrowly wide.