ST MARTINS’ manager Dan Stevens is hoping his side can avoid finishing the season on a low after a run of tough results.

Stevens praised his players for their performance during the first half of the season which saw them climb as high as fourth at one point, however their recent form has seen them go without a win since the first weekend of December.

Stevens doesn’t think the dip in form comes as a surprise however, saying this is something he expected earlier in the season.

“We’ve had a tough winter, the fixtures have been very harsh,” he said.

“People seem to have been quite surprised about our dip in form, but it’s something I felt would happen eventually.

“We went to Eccleshall the other week with basically 11 players because of injuries, and we pretty much finished the game with eight fully fit players.

“We lost our captain Josh Parker and he has been a big loss – he’d walk into sides two or three leagues above.

“We’ve not got the depth, which is something we knew, but injuries have been very tough. That coupled with a few suspensions has meant we have had a few difficult games.”

At the start of the season, Stevens set a target of 40 points to his players, which they achieved, but he now hopes his players are able to find their form of the first half of the season.

“Our target was 40 points and we reached that a few weeks back which was good – first and foremost we wanted to make sure we booked our place in the league for next season,” he said.

“On our day, our 11 is as good as anyone’s in the league, however that only gives you a chance of edging out games – you can’t rely on a thin squad for the entirety of a season which includes more than 40 games.

“We’re focusing on seeing the season out respectfully now, so we don’t finish on a low – a mid-table finish and a cup final would be great for us.”

The Saints return to action on Saturday when they face Stone Dominoes at home.