HALSTEAD Town manager Mark McLean says his players must focus on themselves to stay on the best track to achieve their promotion dreams this year.

The Humbugs head into Friday night's home game against Wivenhoe Town (kick-off 7.45pm) at the Milbank Stadium sat second in Thurlow Nunn League division one south following a 2-0 win at May & Baker last weekend.

They know that a top-two finish is essential if they are to have any hope of going up and with third-placed Coggeshall United breathing down their necks, McLean said his players must concentrate on putting themselves in the best possible position.

"We can only influence ourselves and that's the situation we are in," he said. "I've been looking at different outcomes involving us, Coggeshall and (leaders) Hashtag and there have been so many different scenarios that could have worked out involving points and goal difference, but what is clear is that we can take another six points and that's what we have to do.

"I said as soon as the final whistle went after the Hashtag game that I wanted 12 points from our final four games and we've got six from the first two, so we have to make sure we get the other six.

"We don't know how it will pan out so we just have to put up as many points as we can.

"Wivenhoe are in a great moment since (new Dragons manager) Gary Monti has come in and they have hit the ground running by bringing in almost an entirely new team so they have momentum, but we have to concentrate on what we are doing.

"Training this week has been electric and all we have spoken about is ourselves because that's all that matters." Friday night's visitors Wivenhoe have seen an upturn in form in recent weeks, having won five and drawn one of their seven games since Monti took over as manager at the start of March, but McLean feels his team have enough quality to get what they need if they have the right focus.

He added: "I know half the Wivenhoe team as I have managed some of them and have had teams playing against them so I know exactly what I need to know.

"If we bring our A game to the pitch on Friday then I know we will be OK but they have dangers all over the park.

"Gary (Monti) has done a superb job since taking over there, but we have to make sure we put the brakes on that."

Halstead head into the Good Friday game on the back of two wins that have reignited their push for promotion after the setback of losing to leaders Hashtag United three weeks ago.

The latest success came with a 2-0 win at May & Baker last weekend.

McLean said: "I'm really proud of the players as it was a massive event when we played Hashtag.

"It was a hell of a come down from that after all the build up and the big crowd we had there that day and the players felt all of that.

"That sort of thing can play mind games on you as everyone was a bit flat after that game, but we got our mindset fixed against White Ensign and I was very pleased to see that.

"That was every bit as big a game for us as the Hashtag one and we put them away so we had our mojo back and I was really happy to see us go on and get the result at May & Baker as well.

"I wouldn't say it was our best performance as we were a bit laboured in the first half.

"We just looked a bit too comfortable; we were controlling all areas but we were playing to their tempo and I felt, for the first time in a while, that we needed to put a bit of pressure on them at half-time. "I said they should not allow everything they had done to go away in the next 45 minutes and they responded brilliantly.

"So, without us being at our fluent best, I was really happy to take another valuable three points."