Maldon and Tiptree manager Mike Flanagan is confident that his side is on the right road despite some tricky games since the start of the year.

Flanagan said “We’re improving all the while and although January has been a hard month playing some of the teams in the top half we are making progress,” Flanagan told the Maldon Chronicle. His side narrowly lost 1-0 to promotion play-off hopefuls Harlow Town last Saturday and this Saturday they go to fifth-placed Grays Athletic.

“We’ve coped quite well against the better sides, picked up some points here and there and overall it’s pleasing to see what progress we’re making,” he added.

Flanagan admits they need a bit more quality in their side to compete better against the top sides but the players have responded well and they are slowly moving up and away from the relegation zone.

He reckons that with more games to come against some of the sides in the bottom half of the table over this next month they will pick up more points than they have done this month.

“I’m certainly feeling more positive and when I took over all I was asked to do is to keep the club in this league and I’m confident we will now do that,” he explains. “The players are doing well and working hard for each other which is also encouraging.” The team will again be without the suspended striker Sosthene Yao this Saturday who is in the middle of a four match ban for being sent-off at Brentwood Town earlier this month.

Flanagan knows they now have a smaller squad than his predecessors did but he’s more than pleased with the way the team is going with its mixture of experienced players and younger ones coming into this level for the first time.