ACTRESS Julie Walters has given her backing to a Crawley charity that provides support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or suicidal thoughts.

The Harry Potter star has become a patron of the Samaritans' Crawley and Horsham branch.

Mrs Walters visited the charity's base in Denne Road, Horsham, on November 22 and spent more than two hours being shown round and learning about the service.

She said: "I am so proud to be associated with such a fantastic bunch of volunteers who are there for anyone who needs to talk, any time of day.

"It's brilliant to know that anyone at all can talk in complete confidence about whatever is worrying them. That can be a lifesaver."

Branch director Sue Jago said: "We are thrilled to have someone who is not only so well known but is so supportive and enthusiastic about what we do.

"It will give a real boost to our efforts to raise awareness of our service and to attract the volunteers and funds that we need to keep the branch going."

Samaritans volunteers are available every hour of every day. To speak to one, call 01293 515151.

NUDE bathing and students who sparked up and smoked cigarettes were among the reasons a school near West Hoathly was the victim of a smear campaign more than 50 years ago.

Dubbed locally as "the school for scandal", Kingsmuir was founded in 1950 by Lucy Francis, a pioneer in modern "progressive" teaching methods.

Housed at Stonelands, one of the homes of local benefactor John Godwin King, the school was deemed "quite satisfactory" and "eminently suitable" by inspectors.

But in 1956, speculation and wild tales surrounding the school prompted Mrs Francis to talk frankly to the East Grinstead Courier.

She confirmed that two 16-year-old female students were allowed to smoke, children called teachers by their first names and there had been some communal nude bathing.

But Mrs Francis said: "We have plenty of rules and regulations here – sometimes I think there are too many." She was distressed by the "malicious rumours" because of the effect it had on the children.

Sometimes, when the children were out riding, she claimed they were pelted with stones by village youngsters.

Paul Petch was a pupil at Kingsmuir from 1958 to 1963.

He said: "I was highly strung and nervous and very apprehensive when I first went there.

"We were always hungry. They didn't starve us but we could always have eaten more and my parents noticed I had lost weight when I went home.

"I enjoyed the countryside and the informality of it all. We played in the fields and in the woods where we were allowed to light bonfires.

"Lucy Francis was a good head teacher but a bit of a tyrant, although not in a nasty way. She didn't suffer fools gladly."

Deryn Bell was just six when she went to the school.

She recalled sleeping in a dormitory above a stable block, using a bucket as a loo and being read bedtime stories by Mrs Francis.

"We didn't have many lessons," she said.

"I have happy memories of the grounds and the house and friends, although there was some bad bullying."

Mrs Francis died in 1969, and Kingsmuir closed a year later.

A PRE-SCHOOL which was slammed for failing to ensure its staff were suitable to work with children is making "satisfactory" progress following its latest Ofsted visit.

West Hoathly Community Pre-School was rated "inadequate" following an inspection in March which highlighted a failure, when recruiting, to check staff had the correct qualifications and were suitable to work with children, having had a CRB check.

A further inspection in June found this was still an issue.

A monitoring visit was then carried out on November 6 and, while the pre-school is still rated as "inadequate", the inspector found it has made a "satisfactory improvement".

A further monitoring visit will be carried out in the near future.

Co-chair of the pre-school, Chris Marriott explained that staffing issues had left the pre-school heavily reliant on temporary staff and often there were new staff working each day.

But he added that those problems are being addressed and the pre-school in North Lane now has two permanent members of staff, and inspectors were able to see evidence that employment checks are being carried out.

Mr Marriott said: "Being a small village pre-school it does limit the likelihood of us being able to find staff. That has now settled down."

He said the high use of temporary staff had meant they were unable to carry out their own CRB checks – the checks which deem whether someone is suitable to work with children.

"When you have permanent staff you can get CRB checks done at your own place but we had different members of staff on different days," he explained. "Checks were done with the agencies but you also have to carry out your own checks. It's difficult to get those done when you are using lots of agency staff because they take a couple of weeks to come through."

The pre-school was struggling to attract new pupils with only six children having enrolled for the current year by March, but there are now 12 children on the books.

Mr Marriott and his wife, Carli, who co-chairs the school, are in the process of handing over responsibility to a new chair, having moved to nearby Nutley.

But Mr Marriott wants to have everything in place for when that happens.

He said: "We want to get to a stage where we have everything set up so we can hand it over, for the sake of the children and the parents.

"We had a difficult transitional period when we took over and now we are starting to get everything in place."

And there were plenty of quirky options to choose from when curator Helen Poole took reporter Dave Comeau through the ten most interesting things you will find at Crawley Museum.

1: A Bronze Age sword

MADE purely of bronze, it dates back to about 700BC, and has been preserved in "almost perfect condition", apart from the lack of a handle.

Mrs Poole said, slightly ruefully: "I have been an archaeologist for years and have never come across anything as incredible and well-preserved as this."

The sword was found during an archaeological dig in Langley Green in 1967 and handed over to the museum. Volunteers have created a replica with a wooden handle, which is displayed alongside the original.

2: The 1903 Rex Forecar

BOY racers speeding around Crawley in their lowered Subaru Imprezas probably think they have the coolest rides in town, but they haven't seen the 1903 equivalent.

The Rex Forecar at Crawley Museum was a regular entrant in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. In 2009 it was handed over to the museum by Ron Shaw, who used to own Shaw's garage in the High Street.

At the turn of the 20th century, Forecars were the first cars to feature passenger seats.

You had to be brave as a passenger, as the seats were between the front wheels and in front of the steering wheel and driver's seat.

3: The shoemaker's workshop

MADE up from two different cobblers' shops, both of which stood in Crawley High Street, the workshop is laid out with classic cobbler's tools.

Tack hammers, pliers and leather-worker's tools are laid out in a mock up of what a classic cobbler's would have looked like.

Crawley Town favourite Sergio Torres visited the exhibition as part of a TV interview in the build up to the Reds' famous FA Cup match against Manchester United in 2011.

Midfielder Torres revealed that his grandfather was a cobbler in Argentina.

4: A mummified squirrel

MANY people, and perhaps animals, dream of being immortalised, but this probably wasn't exactly what this hapless chap was after. The squirrel, which is apparently a favourite among schoolboy visitors to the museum, was found mummified and preserved in Ifield Mill, when volunteers begun clearing it out in the 1970s.

5: The remains of Vine Cottage, once home to Mark Lemon

NO relation to Keith Lemon, Mark was a prolific writer of plays, journalism and fiction.

He was the founder and first editor of Punch magazine, was a good friend of Charles Dickens and lived in Crawley High Street.

Mr Lemon moved to Crawley in either 1857 or 1858, with his wife and ten children.

They all lived at Vine Cottage, at 16 High Street, which has since been demolished and replaced with a whacking great Asda.

Timbers and other materials from the cottage's structure are now kept at Crawley Museum. There is a story, disputed by some, that one of Lemon's daughters once posed in hooped stockings for the book, Through The Looking Glass – the sequel to Alice In Wonderland. The same stockings were supposedly found at Vine Cottage when it was being dismantled.

6. A Victorian kitchen

THE museum has a number of items taken from a Victorian house in Three Bridges, which include an old wooden rack used to hold tea towels. If this doesn't excite you, don't worry, because you can immerse yourself in the Victorian era by dressing up, using the box of period costumes and accessories the museum also holds.

7. Model of the Gatwick Beehive

THE Beehive is the original terminal building at Gatwick Airport and now forms part of the City Place office complex. The terminal became obsolete in the 1950s and the model was made by a local man, although his name is not recorded at the museum.

The model was lent to Gatwick Airport for a number of years and returned "a little battered" last year. It has since been given a bit of TLC by the museum's volunteers.

8. Medieval pottery

DONATED by Archaeology South East, a division of University College London, the museum's pottery collection was uncovered during digs in Crawley.

Crawley town centre was once a mass of medieval shops and houses and several items of pottery have been found in recent decades. Mrs Poole said: "People often talk about Crawley being three new towns. There was the medieval market town, then the Victorian new town and then the conventional new town of more recent times."

9. Historic photographs

OLD photos can be a thing of real beauty and it is fascinating to see how the town you grew up in has changed over the years.

Crawley Museum has a collection of more than 200 photographs going back to the early 1900s. Among them are photos showing cattle being brought into the old market in the town centre and old photos of Ifield Mill.

Cuckfield Museum has also donated a brochure from 1916, when the manor house at Worth Park was up for sale.

10. Nostalgic boxes

FOR any elderly residents in the town struggling to remember some of the things from their youth, Crawley Museum has just the boxes of tricks to remedy the situation.

Two sets of miscellaneous trinkets and items from days gone by are often loaned to care homes and pensioners' groups to help them recall days gone by.

One box contains items from the home back in the early to mid 1900s, such as cigarette tins and fish knives. The other contains items from school.

Crawley Museum is based at Goffs Park House in Old Horsham Road, Southgate. It is open by appointment during the winter months. To book a visit or for more information call 01293 539088.

A GROUP of Filipino nurses and their colleagues raised nearly £4,000 for the Typhoon Haiyan appeal through cake sales and collections at East Surrey Hospital.

A cause close to their hearts, they were quick to respond in the aftermath of the disaster in order to help those who have been affected in the Philippines.

More than 200 members of staff at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) are Filipino, and the money raised will be sent to three particular areas of the country where they have friends and family.

With the help of Matron Lynn Sanders, the employees also encouraged people to donate clothing, blankets, tinned food, toiletries, toys and candles which piled up in the hospital's multi-faith chapel.

Nearly 100 boxes were transported by SASH to a cargo forwarder in London, which will send the donation out to the Philippine Red Cross.

Maritess Maglasang, a sister on the Acute Medical Unit, said: "The whole Filipino community has been overwhelmed with the support we have received from people in and outside the hospital. The money raised is going to make a huge difference."

LABOUR leader Ed Miliband has blamed Michael Gove's "free school experiment" for the failings at Crawley's Discovery New School.

The Montessori school in Broadfield is on the brink of having its Government funding withdrawn following damning Ofsted inspections.

During his visit to a Southgate pre-school on Monday Mr Miliband said Discovery's failings highlighted what he described as a lack of accountability for free schools, which have greater autonomy.

He said: "I'm deeply concerned obviously for all of the pupils at that school and it's yet another example of a way in which (secretary of state for education) Michael Gove's free school experiment is not working out."

He added: "You can't run thousands of schools from Whitehall. That's what they're trying to do.

"I think it's a real example of the problem, and all of my hopes and all of my concerns are with the pupils and the parents who will be very concerned about what's been happening at the school."

Mr Miliband added that there would be no new free schools under a Labour government and he wants to see local authorities given more power to hold such schools to account.

PROPOSALS to protect green space in Tilgate and Southgate will be presented to Crawley Borough Council later this month.

Residents groups from the two neighbourhoods want the council to designate specific areas as "local green space" as part of its Crawley 2030 Local Plan.

The proposals in Tilgate are for land in Ely Close, bordered by Worcester Road, Oxford Road and Winchester Road, to be protected from development. Residents have been fighting a long battle to stop homes being built on the open space, where children play.

The proposals in Southgate include the field and recreation area adjacent to Baker Close and Southgate Drive, close to the allotments. This area lies between the recently created Malthouse Road and Southgate Neighbourhood Centre conservation areas.

Tilgate residents will be meeting with borough councillor Colin Lloyd, ahead of the council meeting on December 18 to reiterate their wishes.

Councillor Lloyd said: "The Ely Close residents and also those living in surrounding roads have continually told the council this area is special to them, and it is a source of local recreation and quiet enjoyment."

Michael Jones, a borough and county councillor for Southgate, added: "We've spent a lot of time as a council recognising the value and character of this part of the neighbourhood. These proposals are about recognising that there can be places even in urban areas which have an important contribution to adding a peaceful area for recreation."

Councillor Jones is also supporting calls by Southgate residents for East Park and the northern section of Malthouse Road to be included in the Malthouse Road conservation area.

The council rejected a proposal by Cllr Jones and Broadfield North borough councillor Brian Quinn to immediately add it to the conservation area.

Council officers said at the time they would have to properly look at whether it was of enough architectural importance to be included.

THE leader of West Sussex County Council is preparing a letter to the Prime Minister about fracking.

County council leader Louise Goldsmith has said there needs to be a nationwide debate on fracking – the fracturing of rocks to release gas using high pressure liquid – after the summer protests in Balcombe were blighted by arrests.

Councillor Goldsmith has said there needs to be a nationwide discussion and she will be raising the issue with David Cameron.

Ms Goldsmith said in her council blog: "We all agreed a national debate on fracking is needed, and to that end I have been preparing another letter to send to David Cameron on this issue

"As the planning authority the county council does not have a position on fracking, as this could jeopardise the integrity of the planning process.

"What can be said is that there are very strong opinions on this issue from those very concerned about anti-fracking, to the people who do accept fracking as the way forward to provide energy in the UK.

"Then there are a group of people who are just not sure either way and want more information, and that is why I believe a national debate is so important."

THERE was glitter, face painting and plenty of prizes as primary school pupils showed the adults how its done by putting on their own Christmas fair.

Many of the students at The Oaks Primary School, in Tilgate, were cunningly disguised as butterflies with the help of face paint as they convinced parents and siblings to splash the cash on gifts and games to raise funds for the school.

As well as the traditional features like the good old tombola, there were some Christmas themed games, such as a bauble lucky dip.

Pupils also paid a fee to pick a stocking in the hope of winning a prize. It is not yet known how much was raised.

HUNDREDS of presents donated by our generous readers have already been wrapped to make this Christmas one to remember for disadvantaged children.

Golden Lion Children's Trust (GLCT) helpers collected 520 presents and wrapped them in a Santa's grotto at Gatwick Manor Hotel, in Lowfield Heath, on Sunday.

The gifts have been donated by our fantastic readers as part of the annual Crawley News Toy Appeal and more than 140 bikers also handed over toys at the weekend.

Lynda Guy, chair of the charity, said: "This is our 40th birthday year.

"The generosity of Crawley News readers means that we are able to invite more children to the party this year and send more presents home than other years to children unable to attend the party.

"It is incredible that, in spite of so many people struggling this year, local people can still show such kindness."

Bikers from a host of motorcycle clubs across Sussex rode to Crawley at the weekend to make a donation.

And one rider even came up from Somerset to take part.

Steve Taylor, secretary of the GLCT, said: "We never fail to be amazed at the support from the various motorcycle clubs whose members take part in this annual event.

"Their generosity allows us to help a large number of children with special needs and disadvantaged young people."

There is still time to donate.

Toys of all kinds are welcomed, including board games, and should be either new or as good as new.

Sellotape and good quality wrapping paper are also needed.

To donate pop into the reception of the Town Hall, in The Boulevard, in the town centre, between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

DAME Judi Dench has donated her racehorse to the owners of a riding school – to be retrained to be used for therapy by the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA).

The former Bond star – who is a patron of the RDA – decided to gift her horse, nine-year-old Smokey Oakey, to the Little Brook Equestrian Centre, in East Park Lane, Newchapel, which is home to the RDA, having seen the work carried out by the charity.

"Smokey is a very special horse, with so much still to give, who deserves the chance to live his new life to the full," said Dame Judi.

"I know that he will be much-loved at Little Brook and will receive the patient care and retraining he needs to help him reach his potential away from the racecourse."

The riding charity, which has a network of 500 volunteer groups across the country and uses horse riding as a means of therapy, has already put a plan in place to retrain the gifted equine.

Its new owner Sally-Anne O'Neill, who helps run East Park RDA, as well as being a county instructor and regional showjumping coach, said: "Smokey is a wonderful horse, with a particularly good temperament. We are delighted that Judi has chosen Little Brook for Smokey's new life and, of course, it would be a real bonus if he becomes suitable for our RDA riders or showjumpers."

Having made the decision to give up her horse, which was also owned by trainer Mark Tompkins and Bryan Agar, Dame Judi added that she is confident Smokey will be successful in his new life.

She said: "Having witnessed firsthand the difference that horses and ponies can make to the lives of disabled children and adults through the work of RDA, this is the right thing to do."

She added: "It would be wonderful to think that Smokey might be a suitable horse for riders at East Park."

Dame Judi, 78, who lives near Outwood, was made a Dame for services to the performing arts by the Queen in 1988.

A PRE-SCHOOL has been forced to move premises due to an expanding primary school.

Blackwell Bunnies has had to move from the Community Room at Blackwell Primary School, which needed to take the space back to accommodate increasing pupil numbers.

And it has relocated to the Sports Pavilion at East Court – with staff reporting the move has proved a huge success.

Genna Steptoe, from the pre-school, said: "It has been an extremely long and hard process, but we are very pleased with our new location. The hard work has definitely been worth it, as the premises are a lot bigger and it looks amazing.

"We're also extremely excited that we will be able to offer the children a variety of outside activities.

"Our close link with Blackwell Primary School will still be continuing, as this is vital and makes the transition from pre-school to primary school a lot easier.

"We also have children who will be attending other schools, which we hope we can set up links with."

The pre-school's new opening times are 9.15am to 12.15pm from Monday to Friday.

To find out more, contact Genna or Andi on 07765 507866.

A HUGE section of East Grinstead's road network could be resurfaced as part of a multi-million pound scheme.

West Sussex County Council says it is giving "serious consideration" to improving all unclassified roads across the county.

The Courier & Observer understands routes including Garden Wood Road and Herontye Drive are likely to be among those to benefit from the scheme should it get the green light.

Pieter Montyn, the county council's cabinet member for highways and transport, is weighing up a proposal to spend "a significant sum" over the next two years on improving quieter roads around the county.

The thinking is that if money is invested up front on high-quality road surfaces, it will save millions of pounds in maintenance costs over the next 20 years.

Cllr Montyn said: "We have spent all summer and autumn investigating long-term plans for managing the highways network, in response to the many residents who have expressed concern about the deterioration of some of our roads.

"By putting in place a long-term plan that makes our roads more resilient, we can prevent damage, provide greater value for the taxpayer and make managing problems caused by extreme weather easier.

"We cannot give an exact figure at this stage, but our findings suggest if we invest heavily now in upgrading road surfaces, it will be cheaper in the long run to maintain them and stop them deteriorating."

Over the last three years West Sussex has experienced some of the worst weather conditions in living memory. Record levels of rainfall, along with flooding, freezing temperatures and snow, caused significant deterioration to the county's roads.

John O'Brien, the county council's deputy cabinet member for highways and transport, did not wish to speak in detail on the subject until after the full council meeting next Friday.

But he did say: "A lot of the unclassified roads are ones that run through the town like Herontye Drive and Garden Wood Road, so it will make a difference to a large proportion of the road network if it goes ahead. But it depends on the amount of investment available."

While the county's A and B roads, and minor C roads, continue to be maintained above national standards, the network of unclassified roads has slipped. In 2009/10 only 12 per cent of unclassified roads across West Sussex were considered in need of repair. By 2012/13 that figure had increased to 22 per cent - and unclassified roads make up 55 per cent of the entire road network in the county.

Cllr Montyn added: "West Sussex needs reliable transport links to help connect people to jobs and businesses. Our rural and smaller roads have to be up to the job. Better roads do not cost as much to maintain and significantly reduce the outbreak of potholes after spells of poor weather." Cllr Montyn hopes to make a statement on the issue at the next full council meeting.

What do you think of the state of East Grinstead's unclassified roads? E-mail your views to editor@egcourier.co.uk

Police received a report on Monday morning that the school's hens had been stolen, while a lone cockerel had been left behind.

Alison Smoker, whose seven-year-old son Owen goes to the school, said that parents received a letter informing them of the incident.

She said: "People had broken in and cut open the chicken coop and took the hens but left the cockerel behind. He was called Geoffrey.

"He was incubated and hand-reared on the premises."

Because the chicken coop was left open, foxes could get to Geoffrey and he was killed.

Alison said that once in Year 6 children clean out the coop which helps teach them the importance of caring for others.

The ex-battery hens and cockerel had been there before Owen started at the school, according to Alison.

As for a motive, Alison said that there had been complaints about the chickens' noise.

She added of the thieves: "I have no polite words to say, because it is a school. They are primary school kids. It is meant to be the age of innocence.

"To know that it has been broken into and animals that they care about have been stolen and killed, I think it's disgusting."

PCSO Loen Jenkin is contacting the school to investigate and to provide reassurance to the children.

TIME has been called on a historic 700-year-old pub which looks set to be converted into new homes.

An application was made last week to turn The White Hart Inn, near Ardingly, into two detached homes following its sale in September.

There has been a pub on the site since 1340, although the current building dates back to the 17th century.

But the history of the pub on the B2028 (Ardingly Road), could soon be poured away after it was sold, having been put on the market for £475,000.

Agent Mark Rawson, of Greensand Asset Management, who sold the pub, concedes the pub had fallen on tough times.

He said: "There are so many pubs in the area and I think trading started to become quite difficult.

"There was also the matter that there weren't any roads leading to it.

"It was on the main road and perhaps passing trade started to dry up.

"It's the same all over the country. The way the market is at the moment, pubs are closing every day.

"The new owner has obviously seen some potential in it and decided to build homes on the site."

Mark Atwill, 42, of Broadfield in nearby West Hoathly, was an occasional patron there.

He said: "I think it's always a shame when somewhere that old closes.

"But it was on quite a fast road, so maybe people were going by and not stopping.

"I wouldn't say I was a regular but I went there a few times and after it was refurbished it was a nice place to go."

The planning application invites Mid Sussex District Council to grant permission to change the use of the timber-framed building from a public house and restaurant into two detached houses.

The application states that the building has undergone significant redevelopment over the years but its character has been maintained.

District council planning officers are expected to make a decision on the application within the next six weeks.

Do you think pubs as old as The White Hart Inn should be allowed to be converted into homes?

Or do you think they should be preserved for future generations in the hope they will be used as pubs again? Tell us what you think by e-mailing editor@egcourier.co.uk or writing to 1-3 Queensway, Redhill, RH1 1QT

CRAWLEY Hockey Club's women's section are desperate for new members, believing they are losing out on talents to Sussex's bigger clubs.

Crawley has two women's teams and first team captain Sue Allen believes they will struggle to continue both with the tiny squad they currently have.

"We want people of all levels to get involved," she said. "We have two teams but we're suffering a bit at the moment because we have had a few retire and we aren't getting young players coming through.

"Talented young players are more attracted to the bigger clubs in the area like East Grinstead and Horsham.

"We might not be the biggest club but we are friendly and sociable; our players aren't just numbers.

"I'd encourage anyone to join whether you are a new player or if you are at another club but you want to play in the Premier Division. If you've played hockey before I can basically guarantee you a spot in the first team."

And Allen admits the lack of players is costing Crawley in the Sussex Ladies League, with the first team forced to travel to Hastings last weekend with just ten players.

"It's an 11-a-side sport and we have two teams, but we only have 24 players in the whole women's section," she said. "As soon as you get injuries and illnesses then you're in trouble.

"The second team is there to back the first team up, but on Saturday a lot of the players had already made plans and so couldn't travel all the way to Hastings. In the end we lost 4-0."

Crawley train on Wednesday nights and play on Saturdays. Anyone interested should visit: www.crawleyhockey.org.uk

BASKETBALL: Crawley Lightning lost 57-36 in their second home game of the season last Monday against UoB Suns.

With a fast first quarter played at a high tempo, the away side were winning 19-11 by limiting Lightning to one shot each offence.

With the second quarter pretty much the same, the away team opened up a lead of 31-20 by half-time.

The third quarter saw the game stretch a little as the away side continued with the full-court defence that Crawley still managed to beat. The home side started to put points on the board by slowing their offence and creating the space for the shots to go up, including one three from Karen Rham.

The fourth quarter started to see basketball being played by both sides as the away side changed up their defence into a zone. Shots were limited with only seven points converted by the Crawley ladies, with another three-point shot from Rham and eight by the Suns. The damage had been done early on, and the Lightning ladies were beaten.

Crawley Lightning: Weller 2pts, Casey 2pts, Lang 12pts, Willard, Rham 9pts (3x3 point shots), Rham, N Webber, B Webber 2pts, Roche 4pts, Squire 5pts.

THREE BRIDGES manager Paul Faili believes Saturday's trip to Chipstead is a "massive game", but it's too early in the season to call it a six-pointer.

With just less than half the season played, Bridges sit in the bottom three of the Ryman League Division One South after a poor run of results, while their hosts on Saturday sit just two places above them.

And Faili believes the game will give a psychological boost to the winning side.

"Chipstead is a massive game and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't," the manager said. "At this stage in the season it isn't about a 'six-pointer' as much as the feeling the winning team get coming out of the game. If you win that game you go into the busy Christmas period with a bit more confidence, and more confident sides play that little bit better.

"We have Chipstead and then we have Horsham over Christmas too, so it's a tough run."

Last Saturday, Hastings United condemned Bridges to their sixth successive defeat, but Faili believes it was a much-improved performance against the title-chasers.

"It was a very narrow defeat – one goal from a set-piece," Faili lamented. "We do struggle to defend set-pieces and I think every team in the league knows that; we aren't the tallest of sides.

"But apart from that it was our best performance in weeks. The new players have made such a difference and given a lot more balance to our team. Owen Roberts just seems to get better every week."

Bridges have signed a number of former professionals in recent weeks, but while ex-Southampton striker Tony Garrod has agreed to stay until the end of the season, Crawley Town academy product Jon Dollery is out for two weeks with an injury.