"We're not far away": Bartley backs Blues to test in-form Hadley

Fifth-placed Hadley are the visitors to Oak Tree Road on Saturday, with Marlow looking to kick-start their stuttering campaign with a solid home win.

After a decent start, which brought them two wins from three in all competitions, the Blues have fallen into a bit of a rut, losing their last four matches on the spin.

Their most recent league match, a 2-0 defeat at Stotfold, was a low point for manager Mark Bartley, and the end of the road for some of his summer signings, with their naive performances in midfield coming in for criticism.

However, the league season is only four matches in, and Bartley is confident they can make up for their slow start over the coming weeks.

Maidenhead United were without a win from their first four matches in the National League South and recently celebrated their fifth league win in a row at Maidstone United - a result which lifted them to fourth in the table.

Bartley is hoping for a similar turnaround from his Blues side in the coming weeks in a league he feels they’re more than capable of competing well in.

Having come down to the division from the Southern League Premier South last season, they’re still adapting to the division - as well as themselves with a raft of new signings coming in over the summer.

Looking ahead to Saturday, Bartley said: “Hadley are fifth and have made a very good start.

“It’s always a good opportunity. I don’t think we have a mountain to climb. If we can make those improvements in the middle of the pitch, I think we go from being a side that’s had a sticky run to being a side that can hold their own against anyone. That’s what we’re working on.

“I’m confident if we can make those adjustments, we’ll be able to give Hadley a good run for their money,

“They have had a good start, and they have a good manager, so it will be a test for us but I think we’re capable.

“We’ve played four league games. It’s not set in stone.

“We’ve assessed what we have in the camp. It’s easy for players to look good in pre-season when the sun is shining and everyone is buzzing.

“But what are you going to give us when the season starts and some of them just weren’t up to the level, but we’ve made those decisions quickly.

“We’re not far away from being a very good team. We’re creating lots of opportunities, getting into the final third regularly and are making some good decisions there, but have made some poor decisions in the middle of the pitch. That’s what we’ve been working on fixing for the last week and a half.”

Hadley are unbeaten in the league since the first game of the season, when they lost 2-0 at home to Hitchin Town. They’ve scored 15 goals in their last four games but have also conceded quite a few which may give Marlow’s attacking players some encouragement.