Gordon Bartlett is hopeful he has addressed the balance of his Wealdstone side after new loan signing Nick Freeman played an instrumental role in their 1-0 win over East Thurrock.

After three league games without a win for the Stones, and some flat performances to boot, they looked somewhat back to their best against their visitors at Grosvenor Vale on Saturday.

Confidence may be on the rise following an FA Trophy replay win over league leaders Maidenhead United the previous midweek – but whatever it is, Bartlett is looking up the table after closing the gap to the play-offs to nine points.

In the end, loanee Liam Goulding’s scuffed goal 15 minutes from time was enough to see the Stones past their opponents, but a strong performance left the manager pleased with his side’s showing.

“I don’t use the word pressure,” he said. “But we needed to get back to winning ways.

“I believe in this group and we just need a little bit of good fortune to bring some confidence around the camp.

“It’s not just the players, it’s everyone. We’ve had three decent performances and Saturday wasn’t a true reflection of the game; but the longer it went on, those doubts started to build up.”

Freeman lined up on the right of midfield as Bartlett looked to have abandoned his 4-2-3-1 formation which has provided mixed results so far this season, which the Stones boss also put down to his players’ “underachievement” .

He said: “The players we have got have underachieved. We brought in another loan in Nick, and we are trying to tweak things a bit.

“It’s important to get the balance right and I don’t think we have had that. I wanted another wide player who was decent and can score goals.”

On Saturday, the club are back in FA Trophy action as they host Wingate and Finchley in north London, and Bartlett is determined that the club will take the competition seriously.

“It’s a massive priority,” he said. “We have got a realistic chance of doing well, and it’s got potential for a bit of glory.”