RECENT recruit Tonye Joseph sensed a "winning mentality" as soon as he joined up with his Harwich and Parkeston team-mates.

The front man joined from Wivenhoe Town last month and immediately impressed boss Kieron Shelley and assistant Mike Wallace.

That positive first impression has been mutual and he says he was immediately taken with the spirit and camaraderie within the Shrimpers' squad.

“I’m settling in nicely," said the 20-year-old.

“Everyone’s friendly and when I get my chances, I want to prove I’m good enough to be part of this team.

“I’m thankful to Kieron and Mike for giving me an opportunity at Harwich.

“It’s been a great experience so far and I could sense that winning mentality straight away, from the management and the players.

“The spirit within the group is great and everyone knows that if they’re not performing, they need to step up.

“We’ve got a great unit - a real family togetherness - and that shows on the pitch, in the way we celebrate goals together.

“Now we need to stay strong together."

Despite his positivity, Joseph knows it is important to stay focused on the task in hand and not get carried away by any title talk.

Harwich are fourth in the first division south table, although their magnificent 12-match winning run came to an end during last Friday's 2-0 defeat at fellow high-fliers Halstead Town.

Next up they travel to Fire United on Saturday.

“Winning 12 on the bounce was a great achievement and we know that if we get back to winning ways and keep it up, the league could be ours," said Essex University student Joseph.

“But we have to take each game as it comes, showing the same attitude.

“We can’t get complacent and every game has to be approached like a cup final.

“That mindset is working at the moment so there’s no reason to change anything.

“Obviously there’s a lot of talk about winning the league but it’s important to stay focused.

“If we look too far ahead, we’ll get distracted and no-one wants that.

“But we know what we’re capable of and know what we can do.

“It’s a great opportunity."