MARK Collier praised the work ethic of his Chippenham Town players in the aftermath of Saturday’s National League South loss against Dulwich Hamlet.

The Bluebirds entered half-time level with their London-based rivals before Dipo Akinyemi’s second-half brace secured the hosts all three points and relegated Chippenham to 10th in the league.

Positives were taken from the fixture though, as Collier insisted his men will play worse in the future and still manage to record league points.

Having secured 18 points from 11, Chippenham can consider themselves play-off contenders with more than a quarter of the league campaign completed.

But being clinical in front of goal and taking chances is something Collier emphasised as an area his men can improve on after returning from the capital goalless.

He said: “There was a good work ethic and spirit among the players.

“We will play a lot worse than that and win games. We need to be better in both boxes, the business ends of the pitch.

“They had a lot of size and strength in those dangerous areas, and we pulled up short.

“When we had those chances, we didn’t quite have that luck to score. We know why we’ve lost and understand it, we know what this division is about.”

Collier, who signed a two-year deal to remain at Hardenhuish Park in the summer, has been generally pleased with the start made by his troops this season.

Six wins from 11 in the league plus progress in the FA Cup has made for a pleasing start for the Bluebirds faithful.

And when considering the teams positioned around his men, Collier himself can feel a pinch of satisfaction and pride about Chippenham’s performances to date this year.

He said: “Teams that have got 16 or 17 points are saying in the press how they’ve had a good start to the season – we should be pleased where we are.

“We’re in the right part of the table and still in the FA Cup, we’ve had a solid start to the season.

“We should embrace every week.”

Chippenham are without a game on Saturday as they await the winners of the FA Cup tie between Hendon and Lancing, whose first meeting on Tuesday ended in a draw.

The pair meet again on Sunday, with the Bluebirds hosting the winner in the third qualifying round next Tuesday evening.