Harpenden Town manager Martin Standen has hailed his side’s superb 3-2 victory over Tring Athletic – saying it was only a matter of time before they produced that type of performance.

Goals from George Robinson, Chris Blunden and Harvey Scott were enough to see of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division pacesetters at Rothamstead Park, a result secured even after the late dismissal of Warren Plowright.

It leaves Town in fifth place, nine points behind their visitors, but within striking distance of the other teams ahead of them.

Standen said: "It was only a matter of time. We are the team that will surprise people this year.

"I want to go as high as we can in this league. I said at the start of the season I wanted to be in the top five and that's where we are.

"And I know Colney Heath have games in hand but we are still only three points off second.

"The rain wasn't good on Saturday and the pitch was heavy but the boys dug in. We should have been 2-0 up early on but to go in 1-0 at half-time was great.

"That set the tone for the second half and they worked their socks off."

Blunden's goal was his second since moving from Colney Heath last month while Standen also used his connection with Welwyn Garden City manager Nick Ironton to secure the loan signing of defender Carl Mensah, who made his debut in the success.

Standen said: "Nick was my manager at Arlesey and he has always looked after me. Carl is the missing link and really adds to us. He doesn't want to sit on the bench. He wants to play.

"Chris has added to the changing room and he holds the ball up well.

"I can't fault the changing room. It feels like they have been together for two years, not just a few months.

"That was what I struggled to get when I first arrived."

The boss knows, however, that they cannot rest on their laurels. It was a much-changed side that lost to Leverstock Green in the Herts Senior Cup on Tuesday but the trip to Harefield United on Saturday has to be the next step on Harpenden's rise up the division.

Standen said: "Everybody can beat anyone in this league but three points is 100 per cent what we're going there for.

"You can't set the bar as high as we did against Tring and not get the win at Harefield."