MARK Betts has admitted Burnham shot themselves in the foot with mistakes in the 4-2 home defeat to Brimscombe & Thrupp on Saturday.

Burnham are fighting relegation this season but remain at the foot of the Hellenic Premier Division table after a third loss on the spin.

The Blues have just five games to save themselves and Betts has conducted a “serious clean-out” of the squad in a bid to eradicate costly errors.

The joint-boss told the Observer: “It’s so frustrating. We had the three-week break to work on lots of things and for 38 minutes on Saturday we looked good. Brimscombe are seventh in the league with games in hand on the sides above them but there was no difference between the two sides.

“But, yet again, a error basically shot us in the foot.

“Then we had a head injury before half-time and they scored while the player was off the pitch.

“We went in at half-time and made adjustments and 4-4 would probably have been the right result. Lady luck isn’t shinning down on us at the moment but we remain positive.”

Brimscombe won with goals by James Coates, Ed Major, Ollie Pitt and Sam Blackie before Burnham pulled two back late on.

Slough Observer:

PHOTO - Mark Betts: “We’ve got something to aim for and are going to give it a real good go to keep Burnham in the Hellenic League."

Betts continued: “If performances were not up to scratch then I would be seriously worried, but we’ve had a serious clean-out in personnel, because those mistakes can’t happen again.

“I feel for the lads who are giving 110 per-cent and doing the basics right. I’m still positive, and you have to be, and it’s such a positive changing room.”

The Blues’ next league fixture is away at sixth-placed Ardley United on Saturday March 11, and Betts is targeting a minimum of six points more to beat relegation this season.

He said: “We’re hoping to take the positives into the Ardley game and not make the same stupid mistakes. There might be a little more pressure on us, but we will try to get the three points.

“If we can get two or three more wins it should be enough, because teams above us are still getting beat all the time.

“We’ve got something to aim for and are going to give it a real good go to keep Burnham in the Hellenic League.

“We’ve played teams in the top six and, if we cut out the silly mistakes, we could have beaten them, so there’s no-one we fear at all. I’ve just got to get us so much tighter.

“I don’t tend to look at other team’s results, but I know Ardley have been beaten in their last few.

“We’ve got five games left – and they are all cup finals.”

Before the trip to Ardley, Burnham host Division One East leaders Penn & Tylers Green in a cup fixture next Tuesday (7.45pm).

“It’s another game, and to be honest works quite well because we would have had a couple of lads suspended for Ardley otherwise,” said Betts. “We can get Charlie Samuels back in the frame for the league game.

“It’s a competitive game and that’s better than a training session. You can’t pick the bones out of them.”