KELVIN Highmore has warned his players to keep their feet firmly on the ground after their uplifting win over Odd Down on Monday night.

The Melksham manager believes his young side will prosper as the Conigre surface becomes firm under foot with the onset of spring. Highmore claims Melksham have been held back by some of the boggy pitches around the West Country this winter, but is confident that a spell of good weather will herald some equally good results.

He said: "The pitch was very firm on Monday night. In fact, I couldn't believe how hard it was. "I think a hard pitch definitely suits the way we play. We can pass the football around for fun but we started to struggle when the pitches became more heavy.

"This was a massive three points because it opens up a gap between ourselves and the bottom teams. I'm confident now that we won't get dragged into a relegation dog fight." Melksham fizzed the ball around on Monday against an Odd Down side in freefall after seven consecutive league defeats.

Sean Clarkson replaced the suspended Josh Brigham at left back and showed no signs of his recent groin strain with a pacey burst forward to create the hosts' opening goal.

Clarkson sprinted down the left wing and cut inside his marker before drilling a diagonal ball cross-field towards Luke Ballinger. The Odd Down goalkeeper misjudged the flight of the ball and Ballinger stole in behind him to volley into an empty net for his first Melksham Town goal.

The hosts were firmly in command and doubled their advantage after 35 minutes through the returning Gavin Eyre. Eyre had also been sidelined for two weeks with an injured foot but he started and finished a flowing team move with a delicate lob from the edge of the box.

Odd Down improved in the second half but could find no way through the mean Melksham defence. Matt Minnis went close for the home side late on but his effort was tipped over the crossbar.

Highmore said afterwards he was pleased that his players had managed to perform for a full 90 minutes and did not fade away during the second half. He said: "You know that any team managed by Tommy Saunders is not going to lie down and hand you the victory. We really had to fight for this win.

"It was quite timely to get both Gavin Eyre and Sean Clarkson back for the game. They both performed well after time spent on the sidelines. "I also thought Leigh Burke was excellent in midfield. He was also man of the match for the county team on Saturday.

"A little bit of luck has started to turn our way now. The lads have taken some stick recently but they are working hard and they deserve all the luck they get."