PETERSFIELD Town go into a tough weekend of matches knowing they may still have to endure some difficult afternoons.

Andy Neal has been appointed first team manager on a permanent basis and he is now going about the task of recruiting his coaching team and new players to bolster the squad.

While that process is still very much ‘work in progress’, Rams followers may still have to endure the continuation of their poor start to the season of just one win in five matches.

Petersfield head to Potters Bar Town on Saturday (3pm) before hosting Marlow at Love Lane on Bank Holiday Monday (3pm).

Both sides are in the top half of the table after four matches and Neal is expecting a tough weekend ahead.

“We are still settling down as a club and group of players after everything that has gone on in the last month,” said the Petersfield boss.

“I am getting more players in to help add some strength and depth to our squad but at the moment those new players are having to come straight into the team, and that comes without the chance to develop partnerships on the training ground and work on tactics and what we want the players to do.

“It will be tough for us but we haven’t been completely blown out of sight in any of our matches so far. We have had decent periods of play in all five matches and shown that we can play and match other sides.

“What we need to do now is develop those performances so we are dominating for longer periods in matches and we also need to stop conceding goals in the way that we do – we are letting too many in and at key periods of the game.

“We get ourselves into competitive positions but then concede a number of goals and suddenly find ourselves trying to chase the game from almost impossible positions. This is something we are working on and looking to put right very quickly.”

Chairman Graeme Moir only has one target for his new manager – and that is to keep the club in the Southern League this season and Neal is confident his side can achieve that.

He added: “As poor as the results have been in the early part of the season that can change very quickly. We are still putting together our side and developing as a team and that will take time but if we can get a couple of good results over the Bank Holiday that will change the way everyone is looking at the situation.”