MANAGER Mark Benterman is targeting a positive start to a busy month for Halstead Town.

The Humbugs kick-off October with a Thurlow Nunn League division one trip to Framlingham Town and Benterman knows how important it is to get off on the right foot.

Having had just one league outing in September - a 4-0 win against Team Bury - due to commitments in cup competitions Halstead have played up to four games less than some of their rivals and they realise that they need to post points on the board.

Benterman said: "We're not looking any further than three o'clock on Saturday but we need to go to Framlingham with the right attitude.

"I want to see us taking at least four points from the next six against Framlingham and Holland as this is a big month for us.

We are one of just two teams in the league to still be unbeaten and we want to stay that way.

"We had a great August, September was a funny month with the cup involvements and there are 15 points up for grabs in October.

"We want to see how many of them we can get.

"I think anyone who can put a run together in this league can put themselves in the mix and we have to make sure we hit our own targets."

However, Benterman knows Framlingham won't be an easy place to visit.

He added: "We have games in hand on everyone in the league, but we have to win them and Saturday is no different.

"We have to go there and put in a performance but the fact that (leaders) Coggeshall went there and lost shows how tough it will be.

"We need to go there with the right attitude and desire and make sure that we out-work them to get something from the game."

The Humbugs boss, who will be watching the game from the stands as he completes a two-match touchline ban, will be looking for a better display than the one he saw last weekend, though, as Halstead bowed out of the FA Vase with a 4-1 second qualifying round defeat by St Margaretsbury.

Town had a number of first-team regulars unavailable, while Joe O'Hare had left the club to go to university the day before the game, but Benterman didn't want to use that as an excuse for an under-par performance.

He said: "I felt the team we put out was capable of winning the game.

"All the players in the squad need to be ready when they are called upon, but some of them let themselves down and I felt bad for the fans watching.

"You expect a hard working performance and it wasn't there.

"It hurts and we rightly got turned over, but we won't use having players out as an excuse.

"I'm disappointed as we wanted to progress in the Vase, but had it been a league game with three points at stake, I'd have been devastated.

"However, it's no reflection of our season and we will go again this week."

Benterman said they would be back to full strength for the trip to Framlingham and added that there may be a couple of new faces on board as he looks to continue adding competition for places.