Harry Lee feels the no-nonsense approach of Braintree Town manager Hakan Hayrettin is making him a better player and has hailed the impact the Iron boss has had on the team.

The 21-year-old former Leyton Orient trainee has made 19 appearances for the Iron since joining last summer, including in their 2-2 Vanarama National League draw against Bromley on Tuesday.

He admits that he found it tough to find his feet at the start of the season under former manager Jamie Day, but feels the arrival of Hayrettin as boss has propelled his game forward.

Lee said: “I felt that I started pretty slowly under Jamie Day, but since Hakan (Hayrettin) has come in, he’s given me a few telling offs and I feel I’ve upped my game.

“I feel now that I’m improving every game and with the experienced boys here as well alongside younger players like me, it’s only going to get better.

“I think the management team we’ve got here now have brought a lot to my game.

“From the team talks we have at half-time, I’ve been rollicked a few times and I think that’s made me stronger as a person.

“I think when I go on the pitch now, they fill me with confidence and that’s the same for all the boys.

“They tell us the right things to do and if we’re not doing that then we get told; that’s a good thing as we are still learning.

“He isn’t cutting us any slack when we’re doing badly and it’s good to be told and learn off our mistakes.

“I think we’re going in the right direction and the Gaffer deserves credit for that.

“You can’t have a day off under him and as long as he’s here no-one will get away with anything less than 100 per cent in every game.”

Lee has become a regular part of the central midfield in Hayrettin’s team in recent weeks and is hoping for another strong show when they head to Southport on Saturday.

The draw Braintree earned against Bromley was hard-fought after setbacks with losing key members of their squad before and during the game.

They also had to come from behind to take the point and Lee felt the way they responded showed how they are developing.

He added: “Maybe earlier in the season, that’s what was letting us down and we weren’t coming back from situations like the one we found ourselves in at 2-1 down.

“We weren’t picking up these points, but we are creating chances now and that’s the main thing.

“We are looking like we’re going to score and with the games coming up, we have enough in our locker to win them and push on up the table.

“We have some away games coming up, but we thrive in away games, especially against the bigger sides.

“We’re not in bad form at the moment and I think this is the perfect time to be going to Southport.

“If we can pick up a few points we can push ourselves up the table.”