BASINGSTOKE Town manager Jason Bristow insists that his expectations have not altered, despite his side’s fine start to the season.

The Dragons sit third in the Vanarama Conference South table after taking 12 points from their first six games, but Bristow insists that he and the players will not get carried away.

“We have made a good start, but that is all that it is,” he said. “As a club and group of players, we are realistic. We are third but we have only played six games and still have a lot of good teams to play.

“The table will not settle down until we are at least 10 or 15 games into the season and we need to keep taking each game as it comes.

“Last year we started well but then went through a patch where we stopped performing and getting the results we needed to kick on.

“When we do lose, we need to react in the right way, which we have done so far this season. We cannot afford to lose two, three or four on the bounce.”

Town’s 1-0 victory over Ebbsfleet on Saturday was their second victory over one of the pre-season title favourites. However, they have lost to Hemel Hempstead Town and Farnborough, two sides they were expected to beat.

Their next game is a trip to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday (kick-off 3pm). It’s another game that they possibly should win on paper – but Bristow says that nothing can be taken for granted in what is a very competitive league.

“There are no easy games in this division,” he said. “Bishop’s Stortford looked like they were struggling but then they went to Havant and picked up a good win.

“We had Bishop’s Stortford watched last week and they are lively going forward. Striker Mikel Suarez is a danger in the air and they have legs around him.

“We can cause them problems with our pace and energy though. We need to make sure we play to our strengths.”

It appears that Bristow’s hunt for a holding midfielder may be coming to a conclusion, with the club said to be in advanced talks with one of their targets. However, the deal is unlikely to be tied up in time for him to feature on Saturday.

It is hoped that striker Julian Owusu will recover from a swollen ankle in time to play, but Nicholas Bignall has left the club by mutual consent.