Patterson wants time

7:50am Wednesday 20th August 2008

Braintree Town boss Lee Patterson has appealed to the club’s fans for patience – despite his side’s poor results.

The Iron have experienced a disappointing start to the season, having lost their first three matches in Blue Square South.

They head into their clash with Hampton and Richmond at Cressing Road on Saturday without a single point, leaving them in the bottom three of the table.

Defeat at Maidenhead United last Saturday followed setbacks against Welling United and Dorchester Town.

Yet despite Braintree’s testing start, boss Patterson feels his players are beginning to gel together as a team, following the arrival of several new players this summer.

He was encouraged by the display at Maidenhead despite the 2-1 defeat.

Patterson said: “People just need to be a bit patient.

“We’re getting there.

“We had enough chances in the game against Maidenhead to have nicked the points and we would have been disappointed with getting only three points, let alone a point.

“We’re in it together and the dressing room spirit is excellent.

“We’ve improved and got stronger in every game.

“We’re not a million miles away and the team played some excellent football against Maidenhead.

“Anyone who was at the game will have seen that.

“The quality of the players that we have is a lot better than last year but it’s taken a bit longer than expected.”

It is not the first time in recent years that Braintree have experienced a sluggish start to the season.

Last season they won only one of their opening five games, scoring twice in the process, while the 2006-07 campaign, their first in Blue Square South, began with two defeats.

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