BRIGHTLINGSEA Regent manager James Webster is urging his players to up their work-rate in the closing weeks of the season.

The North Road side are well-placed for a crack at the Ryman League north division play-offs, sitting seventh and just two points behind fifth-placed AFC Hornchurch.

However, Webster felt his team could have given more in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Haringey Borough.

And he wants them to increase their energy and intensity levels in their remaining six matches – starting with this weekend’s match at Tilbury. “We’re on the cusp of the play-offs but we’ve got to start performing better,” said the Regent boss.

“It took us 40, 50, maybe 60 minutes to get into Saturday’s match.

“And that, for me, is because we didn’t work hard enough, right from the start.

“That’s the most important thing at this level – to work hard and compete.

“But I can’t remember us winning any second balls in the first half.

“It got better and in the last half-hour we got higher up the pitch and started winning second balls.

“Overall, though, I’d still say the tempo and work-rate weren’t right throughout the whole game.

“I’m disappointed about that because it’s something we drum into the players constantly.

“They must get sick and tired of hearing it but they didn’t do that in this game and because of that, I’m not totally sure we deserved our point.

“It was never going to be a pretty game and we weren’t able to get the ball down and play football.

“We knew we had to roll our sleeves up, compete, work hard and match Haringey’s physicality.

“But we didn’t do that, especially in the first half.”