WHILE escaping the clutches of Vanarama National League relegation may not be on the agenda anymore, Braintree Town still have plenty to play for over the forthcoming Easter weekend and manager Danny Searle knows what he wants from his side.

The Iron kick-off their weekend with a trip to the only side below them in the table - Maidstone United - on Good Friday, before welcoming Dagenham & Redbridge to Cressing Road on Bank Holiday Monday (kick-off 3pm) when they will be looking to extend their winning home run to a third game.

After last weekend's action, the bottom four in the table are all now confirmed to be relegated, but placings within that quartet are not yet set and, having beaten high-flying AFC Fylde 2-1 on Saturday, Braintree want to to finish as high as they can, but Searle is looking for more than just points.

He said: "I'm just looking for a consistency of performance as I want to see the lads put together a consistency together now.

"That's not negating the results at all, but I want to see what we are doing on the training pitch is sinking in. "We saw it against Gateshead, we saw it in the first half at Wrexham and we saw it pretty much throughout against AFC Fylde on Saturday, but we need to keep putting it together now and that's what I'm looking for over Easter.

"If there are any players whose minds are on the metaphorical beach and they think there is nothing to play for, then they won't be playing for me.

"Winning is a habit and we want to take as much of a winning mentality into next season as we can.

"That's not something you can switch on and off.

"This is a test of character. "Who is up for the fight next season regardless of what we are fighting for."

Good Friday's action at Maidstone will bring Braintree up against their two-time former manager Hakan Hayrettin, who departed Cressing Road to head to Kent to take charge as head coach at the Stones in January.

That move gave Searle, who was Hayrettin's assistant, the chance to step into the main job and he is looking forward to coming up against his old boss.

He added: "I know people will make a lot of the fact that it's Hakan and Maidstone and who will be bottom of the league, but that's superficial as far as I'm concerned as it will be 11 versus 11 once the whistle goes.

"Hak is a top guy and I wouldn't be here at Braintree now had it not been for him. "I'll always be grateful to him for that. "He will have his knowledge of me to help him prepare as I will have mine of him, but, as I said, it will be down to the 22 men on the pitch to put whatever plans they have been given into place once the game starts.

"I don't want to finish bottom of the league, though.

"With the results we've had recently, we have dragged Havant & Waterlooville and Aldershot back into our orbit so we could catch them and there is plenty to play for still.

"If we can finish off the bottom, given the resources that this club has had to work with, then I think that would be something for this club."