HE may have been Witham Town's goalkeeping stand-in hero in a 2-1 win against Brentwood Town, but Danny Norton insists that it's not a role he will be looking to reprise in the near future.

Witham extended their excellent form in Bostik League division north with a fifth victory in a seven-game unbeaten run that has seen them lift themselves clear of the relegation zone ahead of a trip to second-from-bottom side Mildenhall Town on Saturday.

But the win against Brentwood came at a cost as a number of Witham players either came off with knocks or finished the game as walking wounded.

Manager Mark Ashford said he expected physio James Heaton to be kept busy this week getting squad members fit for action at Mildenhall, but perhaps the most significant injury was to goal keeper Luca Collins.

With Witham leading 2-1, Collins, who has been ever-present for them so far this season, suffered a groin injury after a collision while claiming a cross and was forced to leave the pitch just before half-time.

With no recognised keeper on the bench, a quick game of rock-paper-scissors ensued and saw Norton step forward, with the central midfielder reluctantly taking the gloves.

Witham knew it would be a big ask to shut out their visitors for 45 minutes, but a superb defensive effort, including a couple of saves from the stand-in keeper, saw them hold on to their lead.

But while it was a memorable match, Norton said it wasn't an experience he enjoyed.

“That was my first time in goal," said the 21-year-old Witham captain.

“Normally we’d have someone (Jack Kemsley) in the side or on the bench who has done it before, but he was suspended so we needed someone else to step forward.

“There were a few of the boys who said they didn’t fancy it, but I said I’d give it a go and Luke Mallett did as well.

“So we did rock-paper-scissors between us to see who would go in; I won it so I had to go in, but I think I did OK.

“I had a few saves and smothered a couple so I was pleased with that.

“I’d never played in goal before at any level, but I won’t rush to do it again.

“I didn’t enjoy it at all – it was horrible.

“I hated every minute of it because you know the whole team is relying on you, but the boys were superb."

But while he may not have enjoyed his stint between the sticks, Norton was only too aware of the significance of the team's heroics with their backs to the wall.

He added: “It was a great result.

“We knew it would be tough as Brentwood were only a couple of points above us but we knew that if we could shorten that gap between ourselves and the few teams above us then that would be good.

“It was always going to be tough, but to do it in the manner that we did was something else.

“For 20 minutes, we couldn’t get hold of the game as they absolutely dominated us, but, as we have for the last few games, we dug in and found the result we wanted.

“It was a different type of performance we needed this time, but we said that at half-time.

“We know we can play good football, but we can also get dirty if we need to and we proved that, especially in the second half with everything that happened and having players coming off.

“There were four or five players out there at the end carrying injuries but everyone kept going."