Upbeat boss targets top half

Steve Brinkhurst wheels away in celebration after scoring his first Hastings United goal in last weekend's 2-2 draw at home to Three Bridges. Picture courtesy Joe Knight

The U’s lie 20th in the 24-team Ryman Football League Division One South - eight points behind the top 12 and three above the bottom three.

“We’re still very much aiming to finish in the top half,” Kane said. “We’re looking upwards, not behind us. We’re trying to concentrate on the positives rather than the negatives.

“I think we are heading in the right direction. The mentality of the players is good. We’re going into games expecting to at least get a draw, if not win them, no matter who the opposition is.

“The results probably don’t suggest that we’re improving, but I think the performances do. We’re playing as a team, and the players are starting to believe in themselves and each other a bit more.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in the players. Our philosophy is very much fitness and finishing; that’s what we’re working on every training session. We’re trying to play a pressing game and we can do that much more effectively if we’re fit.

“There’s only one game since I’ve taken charge that we’ve not scored in, and we look more organised defending set-pieces and more threatening from attacking set-pieces.”