GALLERY: Bartlett pleased with March Town United players in Saffron loss and demands three points against Haverhill

March Town United manager Chris Bartlett says he was encouraged by his side’s performance in their 1-0 home loss to Thurlow Nunn League leaders Saffron Walden Town on Saturday.

Bartlett questioned the Hares’ mentality and concentration levels after their 2-1 loss at Swaffham Town, but he could find no fault with this players application this time round.

He said: “In the last half hour Saffron were hanging on. That’s a good sign against the best team we’ve played this season.

“You had to be impressed with the level of application in the second half and on another day we would have got something from the game.

“Earlier this season we nicked three points off them when we didn’t deserve them. On Saturday, we deserved something out of the game but didn’t get anything.

“Three points gained is probably a fair reflection from the two games.”

Despite the positives, the Saffron loss was March’s third league loss on the bounce.

It’s a run that Bartlett is desperate to see end when his side host Haverhill, who are two places but only three points above them in sixth, on Saturday.

Bartlett said: “Haverhill are a very solid side. It’s imperative that we keep the application and momentum going from the second half on Saturday and show some more quality on the ball.

“If we want to achieve our ambitions of a top six or even top four finish, we have to take points off the teams around us.”

David Jackson is out this week but Jordan Fiddes should be back after minor jaw surgery.

Another player pushing hard for selection is Sean White, who has bagged consecutive hat-tricks for the reserves.

Bartlett said: “Sean has a big future with March and with his goalscoring ability is certainly in our long term plans.

“But the three strikers who played against Saffron were excellent so he might have to be a bit more patient.”