Wealdstone manager Gordon Bartlett hopes the fans will see the best of his side from the middle of this month after the most frustrating start to a season he has experienced.

The Stones were without 11 players, for a mixture of reasons ranging from injury and illness to personal circumstances, on the opening day of the season and the first month has seen the squad decimated.

Bartlett is gradually getting players back into the fold, with the injured Tom Cadmore (knee) and Dale Binns (toe) expected to be available within ten days, but still thinks it will take some time for the team to find their fluency.

Bartlett said: “It’s like a jigsaw where most of the pieces are there now but the picture is not quite there.

“It has been the most frustrating start where players have not been available for weird and wonderful reasons. But it’s been out of our hands so we have just had to deal with it.”

The Stones boss added: “We are a month behind in terms of our fitness, preparation and organisation. But hopefully by the middle to the end of this month we will get closer to what we want. There is no magic wand to know exactly when it will happen.”

Wealdstone were held to a goalless draw at Hayes & Yeading United on Saturday. But it was a game that left Bartlett frustrated.

He said: “It was very frustrating. We started very well indeed but the final ball was lacking. There was a game to be won but we didn’t create enough chances.

“It was one of the most open game of footballs I’ve been involved in but the final ball just wasn’t sharp enough from us.”

The point leaves Wealdstone 18th in the table with five points from their opening eight games. The Stones return home this weekend to face sixth-placed Chelmsford City.

Bartlett said: “I would expect us to create a bit more than we did in the last match.

“We are undoubtedly playing catch up and we need to try to chip away so we can start climbing up the table.”