WITHAM Town manager Mark Ashford says his young players’ positive displays have given him confidence that they can go to AFC Dunstable and get a strong result in their FA Trophy preliminary round tie on Friday night.

A win against Bostik League division north high-fliers Coggeshall Town two weeks ago set up the tie in Bedfordshire against a side from division one central of the Southern League.

Witham head into the game on the back of back-to-back defeats - a 2-0 loss to Bowers & Pitsea in Bostik League division north last weekend and a 1-0 loss at Maldon & Tiptree in the Velocity Trophy on Tuesday - but Ashford has been heartened by a strong performance by his young side in that midweek cup tie.

He rested a number of first-teamers, so has them coming back for the FA Trophy game and, having confidence in calling on the club’s younger players, the manager feels they should head to Dunstable and be positive.

“You can see performances gradually improving and these young players are learning,” said Ashford.

“No-one has over-run us and I’m confident that over time, we will turn results into wins.

“I’m quietly confident that the challenges that the club gave me of keeping them in the division and bringing through a load of young players, that I will achieve both.

“Performances like the one at Maldon and Tiptree not only educate the young players, but they give them belief that they can compete at these levels.

“Some of them have now put themselves into my thoughts thanks to what they have done and one of them will certainly travel with us to Dunstable for the FA Trophy.

“I rested six players – Sam Ashford, Johnny Ashman, L’Heureux Menga, Shami Pedulu, Michael Osei and Pat Ahern – because they’d all played a lot of football recently and I want to keep them fresh for Friday.

“So we got a lot out of the game at Maldon; not only how we did, but also allowing players to rest.

“We also have players like Jack Kemsley and Andrew Tirivanhu coming back from injuries so we are getting there and over the next week or two we expect to bring in a couple more.

“We’ve also got the young players coming through who are showing that we can trust them and hopefully that gives players in the youth structure that they have a management who watch them and if they do well, then they will be played. I was very upbeat after the game at Maldon, despite the defeat, and I hope we show our positive side at Dunstable.”