Braintree Town assistant manager Barry Bolton insists that just a one or two per cent improvement is what’s required for the Iron to turn results like they suffered against Maidstone United on their head.

There was last-gasp heartache once more for Braintree as – not for the first time this season – they conceded in injury-time at the end of a game to leave their pointless in a Vanarama National League encounter.

This time, it came in the form of a 95th minute penalty that was scored by Blair Turgott to give Maidstone their first goal in five games and a 1-0 win that ended a six-game losing run.

It left the Iron still winless at home, but Bolton, while frustrated once again by the result, felt his team were so close to getting things right.

“It’s such fine lines for us with where we are in the league,” he said.

“I don’t think the results are reflecting the performances we’re putting in and anyone watching our game against Maidstone would say that we deserved at least a point out of it.

“So it’s really hard to pick the boys up.

“We went away last week and won our first three points (at Gateshead) and I think we controlled most of that game against Maidstone.

“There were two penalty shouts in the game – one given and one not given – and those are the fine lines that we are suffering from at the moment.

“We have to learn.

“It’s a tough one to take, but these are the things we have to live with.

“We’re all really gutted, but we’ll lick our wounds and we’ll try to work out how we get over the fine lines.

“We’re talking about one or two per cent improvements in a couple of areas and we’ll turn these sort of results around.

“We did that at Gateshead and if we do that we win again.

“But look at the result against Maidstone and it’s a single goal that we’ve been beaten by again.

“Every team will have decisions that go for them or have spells in a game, so we have to push on and take the pressure off our defence a bit more by converting some of the passages of play we’re having.

“They were there for everyone to see and we have to make more of them.

“Without getting on to our guys, we just need that bit of quality in the final third.

“I’d be much more worried if we weren’t creating opportunities, but we need to create more and our movement needs to be a bit more.

“Having said that, when we do get the opportunities we need to convert them and that’s the difference at this level.

“You give the opposition one chance to put the ball in the net and they are doing it, we seem to need two or three to get anything out of the game.

“That’s frustrating.

“It’s not through lack of trying because the boys want it so badly.

“Somethings the pressure builds on them and they snatch at it or something, but they want it very much.

“We do need to work the keeper more, though, and we know that; there’s no doubt about that.”

Bolton had no complaints about referee John Smith awarding the Stones the penalty in the 95th minute, but he did feel it was another mistake on Braintree’s part that had proved costly for them.

He added: “I don’t like blaming referees; I honestly believe they make the best decisions they can in a difficult job.

“In the end there were no complaints from me.

“It was a silly decision from us as their player was going away from goal and he doesn’t have to make the referee make a decision in there.

“It’s that decision making that is costing but it was also in the build-up play from us before the penalty.”