WITHAM Town boss Mark Ashford says his players must make sure their preparations are right as they head into a run of testing Bostik League division north fixtures.

Having been frustrated by his team's sluggish start in their previous game against Bury Town, Ashford was pleased to see a good response as they headed to leaders Bowers & Pitsea last weekend.

And while a side who the Town boss is tipping to be champions at the end of the campaign showed their class in a 3-0 win, he felt his players looked more like the ones who went unbeaten through December and most of January.

However, Ashford knows that his team have keep striving to start games better than they have at times this season as it is something that has been costly - beginning as they host Great Wakering Rovers on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

He said: "We have played consistently well against top teams and I know a lot of teams in the division would love to have the record that we do against the likes of Coggeshall Town, Heybridge Swifts and Maldon.

"Even against Bowers, the stats showed we were very much in the game until the second goal went in and I'm pleased that we have given good accounts of ourselves against these top sides in the league.

"But the players need to find that extra focus every week.

"They need to fins a way of getting themselves mentally right for every game.

"The next three home games - against Great Wakering on Saturday and then Soham and Felixstowe - are massive for us and in among them are two hugely challenging away games at Heybridge and Aveley.

"The season is going before we know it but we want to keep building and progressing.

"We spoke with the players after the Barking, Tilbury and Bury games and we talked about the players understanding that if they want to progress they have to get their preparations right and take that on to the pitch.

"We know we are a good group and when we get it right we can give anyone in the league a good game, but it hasn't happened regularly enough.

"You do expect it from young players and I don't expect ours to be there every week yet, but I do want to see them showing that they are learning.

"We have given young players their chance at our club, but part of that bargain is that they have to be willing to learn.

"They must understand the way to train and prepare with an intensity because these things have an effect in matches.

"We have had it too often this season that we haven't got going until 20 minutes into games.

"If we haven't conceded by then, then we have more often than not gone on to get something from the game, but if it takes you 20 minutes to get to the tempo and physicality of the game then you run the risk of losing.

"If we can get the focus right all the time then performances will start from the beginning and will be better.