BASINGSTOKE Town may have won their opening two games of the season but manager Jason Bristow says his side will need to play even better over the course of a big bank holiday weekend.

A 2-1 victory over Gosport Borough at the Camrose on Tuesday night made it two wins out of two for Town.

However, bigger challenges lie ahead, with a home game against highly-fancied Eastleigh on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) followed by a trip to Weston-super-Mare on bank holiday Monday (kick-off 3pm).

Basingstoke’s opening two games of the season have seen them grind out results against newly-promoted clubs without really hitting top gear.

That is a good sign, but Bristow admits that his side will need to up their performance levels if they are to continue their winning run this weekend.

He said. “We have got to be happy with six points from our first two games but we know we can offer more. We will have to be better in possession if we are to compete against Eastleigh.

“Gosport only really had one clear chance but while the midfield protected the back four well, overall we were not close enough to them in that area and lost the battle, which is something we have to improve on going forward.

“The pleasing thing is that we have defended really well. Like Concord, Gosport had pressure but not many clear chances. Last season, we may not have got three points from either game.”

Eastleigh also go into Saturday’s game boasting a 100 per cent record, having beaten both Sutton United and Bath City 1-0. It promises to be a humdinger of a Hampshire derby – and it’s one Bristow is looking forward to.

“Saturday is a great game for us, the sort of match you really enjoy playing in.” he said. “It’s a local derby and Eastleigh are one of the pre-season favourites.

“They have a good squad so they will be a team everybody wants to beat. Hopefully there will be a good crowd and we can come away with another three points.

“It will be a different sort of game. The two teams we have played so far had just come up and are chasing points but the Eastleigh game will be different. I expect them to play a passing game and that might open it up for us to do the same.”

Another tough game awaits Town on Monday when they face a Weston-super-Mare side who finished seventh in the Conference South last season despite a tiny budget.

They beat Basingstoke twice over the course of the season, with Bristow’s men suffering a 5-2 hammering in Somerset and losing 3-1 at the Camrose.

However, it has been a summer of change for Weston, with just three members of the team that played at the Camrose in April starting Tuesday night’s 3-0 win at Dorchester.

Bristow said: “Weston were a side I admired last year. They combined playing out from the back and going long when they had to and were certainly better than us over the two games – but this is a different season.”