MANAGER Mark McLean is delighted that Halstead Town are now fully seeing what he always knew Garry Burdett would bring to the Humbugs.

Burdett suffered a difficult start to his time at the Milbank Stadium after joining from Hadleigh United in November as he sustained a knee injury on his debut against Frenford that kept him sidelined for a number of weeks.

He has then had to rebuild his fitness after returning to the side, but McLean is glad that the team are now able to appreciate his value to their push for Thurlow Nunn League division one south promotion this year.

Burdett scored his first goal for the club in Halstead's 2-0 win against Lopes Tavares last weekend and will be looking to add to that when they host Holland FC on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

"I've know Garry for a long while and I've always known what he would bring," said McLean.

"I was really gutted for him when he got injured in his first game for us and I was disappointed for us because I knew what a player he was.

"He is one player who can drag you through a tough patch because he is as natural a leader as they come. "He gives you a massive threat in both boxes and we're now just starting to see the best of him.

"It's no surprise to me that everyone is loving having him at the club because that is the character and player that he is and he is loving it with us as well, which is important.

"It was great to see him score on Saturday from a great delivery by Charlie (Pleace), who is another player who has had to come back from injury that has kept him sidelined."

Burdett has been a key part of Halstead's improving defensive record over the last couple of months and McLean is glad that they are showing their strength at both ends of the pitch now.

He added: "We have now only let in three goals in the last six games and that's been excellent.

"We've always been a side who will score goals, but we needed to shut the back door and that recent run has been excellent.

"I think that game against Lopes Tavares would have been one that we'd have won 6-5 or something like that earlier in the season and we had the mindset that we just had to out-score the opposition.

"But now we are solid at the back and have a real platform to build from.

"We now have that in our locker; I always knew it was there, but we are showing it now and being resolute.

"Players like Garry Burdett, Ben Morgan, Connel Dunlop and Marcus Warren have done that, with the full-backs like Liam Whipps, Curtis Abel and Charlie Pleace doing a great job and then obviously Jack Cherry behind them in goal."

The win against Lopes Tavares was important in getting Halstead's promotion push back on track after the setback of a 2-0 defeat by Hackney Wick the week before when the Humbugs found it tough to get back up to speed after a three-week break in action.

So McLean was thrilled to see his players back to where he wanted them to be and has told them that they need to stay there when they face a tricky Holland side on Saturday.

"I've seen our energy come back," he said.

"I knew in myself that the Hackney Wick game was a blip, but we have learned a lot from that game and I think it will stand us in good stead.

"They are a team that you don't want to meet when coming off a break so we were a bit unlucky with how the fixtures fell for us but we have bounced back and it's still in our control.

"That's all you can ask for with eight games to go.

"We have worked too hard and for so long for us to allow it to unravel now.

"The desire is there but we backed it up with real purpose against Lopes Tavares and we have to go again against Holland.

"I have never had a dull game against Holland - even a 1-0 win was a battle and I know they will come at us again this time.

"They have had some good results but their games have tended to be high scoring and they're a team who never leave anything out on the pitch.

"If you're half a per cent off, you will know it.

"When we played them in the cup game, they beat us 4-0 and while it wasn't a competition we were targeting, they took us apart.

"I thought then that they are well-schooled this year and have a better balance then before but it shows how good this league is this year that if you are not consistent then it's easy to slip up.

"However, they have competed with all the teams who are up there and we need tone careful.

"We have to find our levels and be clinical again."

Other than skipper Jake Brown, who is serving the final game of a three-match suspension, McLean said he had a full squad to choose from as Chris Harris would come back in after being unavailable last weekend.