Portsmouth News

Dos: We can’t take our foot off the pedal

- - LEWIS MASON

Paul Doswell watched Hawks take another big stride towards securing a National League South play-off finish but insisted: We can't afford take our foot off the pedal.

With two games to play, seventh-placed Hawks have opened up a three-point gap between themselves and Chippenham following their 3-0 home victory over Hampton & Richmond at Westleigh Park, coupled with the Bluebirds' 2-2 draw at Ebbsfleet.

It means Doswell's side could potentiall­y make sure of a top-seven finish with a game to spare should Chippenham lose or draw at home to Hungerford and Hawks win on the road at Hemel Hempstead on Monday.

But despite finding themselves in the driving seat in the play-off race, the Hawks boss - whose side host Chippneham on the final day at Westleigh Park - would be foolish to think the job of securing a top-seven finish is all but done.

Doswell said: ‘We've put ourselves in a really strong position, but not a position which is not catchable yet, so we can't take our foot off the pedal, that's for sure.

‘I thought we were excellent in the second half, especially (against Hampton).

‘One of the things we're realised, teams come here with real intensity and enthusiasm for the first hour - if you can see that hour out - that's when our quality comes through from 60 to 90 (minutes).

‘It's happened in a lot of games here (at Westleigh Park) - we were 0-0 at halftime against Braintree and won 4-0.

‘Like I said, for that first hour, teams almost expend their energy, with half-hour to go Hampton visibly stopped the amount of running they were doing.

‘I thought it was a dominant second-half performanc­e, we could have had six or seven.’

Captain Joe Oastler settled the nerves four minutes before the break as he hooked home from a corner.

It was then over to James Roberts who netted twice in four second-half minutes to wrap up the 3-0 victory.

 ?? ?? ALL SMILES Jake McCarthy and goalscorer James Roberts
ALL SMILES Jake McCarthy and goalscorer James Roberts

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