Welwyn and Bedford defeated

HARPENDEN Town boss Ryan Thompson and his players have their sights set on finishing in the top five after back-to-back wins this week.

Town have moved up to ninth in the Division One table after wins over Welwyn Garden City and Bedford this week and are now just six points of the team currently sitting in fifth, local rivals London Colney.

“We’ve got a lot of sides to play who are below us and we want to finish as high as possible,” explained Thompson.

“There is a lot of pride in the squad now and they want to achieve something. Fifth spot is the goal because you need to have something to aim for otherwise you’ll just float around in mid-table.”

A cheeky Ant Burns back heel put Town on their way against Welwyn on Saturday and goals from Richard Taaffe and Jimmy Warner put Thompson’s men firmly in control at the break. James Hill marked his first start after a long term injury with the fourth before Aaron Clarke’s brace handed Town a morale boosting 6-1 win.

“Saturday could easily have been more,” said Thompson.

“We blitzed them and we also hit the bar and the post in both halves. We played very well and we very happy with the result.”

Although the goals didn’t continue to flow during Tuesday night’s game with Bedford, an explosive finish from Jimmy Warner was enough for Town to collect all three points.

“Last night we were nervy in the first 15 minutes but after that we took control.

“In the second half we kept going and the players were probably sick of my voice because I was getting frustrated but we’re playing superbly and we’d felt like we’d one the cup at the end.

Town take on AFC Dunstable this Saturday and Thompson says it will be a big challenge for his side.

“We beat them on the first day of the season and they will want revenge,” explained Thompson.

“They are another top four side and it will be a big test, hopefully everything will click on the day.”