JOE Ellul is aware that individual mistakes are hurting Braintree Town at the moment, but says the Iron dressing room is united in their determination to get themselves up the Vanarama National League table.

Braintree head to Gateshead on Saturday still lodged at the foot of the standings after their 1-0 defeat by Wrexham last weekend.

Ellul was candid in admitting that it was his error that allowed Wrexham skipper Shaun Pearson to get away at a corner and score what proved to be the winning goal in that clash and said the players know that mistakes are costing them at the moment.

However, he knows the Iron aren't far away from getting the right side of the fine margin that lies between losing and winning and said the squad are together in their belief that they can compete at this level.

“That defeat by Wrexham was so hard to take because I felt, up until the goal, we were dominating the game," said the 29-year-old centre half.

“We had the better of the chances, but a lapse in concentration from myself – I lost my marker and he scored – and we were behind.

“We then couldn’t recover and get back to the pace that we had been going at as the goal seemed to knock us.

“So it was hard to take, but I felt it was the best performance that we’d had this season.

“First half definitely, so that’s a bonus you can take as we showed we could do well against a team who are up there in the play-offs.

“But it’s just little things that are hurting us.

“Before the goal (against Wrexham), we perhaps tried to over-play and it needed a last-ditch tackle that the ball went out for a corner and they scored from that.

“It’s just little mistakes and that’s hard to swallow as it’s individual mistakes.

“The biggest thing we can do, though, is stick together and be united because we’re not far off from doing something really really good with a good young squad.

“We appreciate that.

“What you can’t afford to do is point fingers at anyone because we are in it together.

“I just think that we have to stick together – management and players – because it is going to come together.

“It has to with performances like that.

“It’s very very small margins between where we are and winning games, but we have to do it quickly.

“It’s just so frustrating because we know how close we are and we can’t afford to get caught adrift.

“We are definitely moving in the right direction, though.

“Look at little Mo (Sagaf) who has come in and been unbelievable; I’d say he’s been the star man in the last two games and Dave (Nieskens) has come in and produced fantastic performances.

“Justin (Amaluzor) gives us something up front and he’s run himself into the ground.

“We have such a strong 11 and a strong bench and that makes it very hard not getting the results because there are so many good players there.

“The boys are so young and hungry and that’s the thing, you can see that they want it so badly.

“As a more experienced player, that’s the thing that gets me as I can see how hard they are working and how much they want to win.

“The hunger is there and it will come."

The game against Wrexham was Ellul's first since injuring his knee against Barnet last month and while the result wasn't the one he wanted to return to, he said it was good to be back involved.

He added: “I'd been chewing at the bit over the last few weeks.

“I did my knee in the game at Barnet; it just popped so I think I strained it there and I had the three weeks out as a precaution, but I was so glad to be back out there with the boys.

“I’ve trained and it was nice to be out there again, but cramp kicked in at the end and I think that’s why he took me off (against Wrexham)."