DJC MARLBOROUGH chief Ian Bevan has set his troops the challenge of avoiding finishing bottom of the Premier Division after seeing them record just a second league win of the season on Saturday.

A 4-2 success at home to Old Town United brought them level on points with second-bottom Lower Stratton and Bevan now wants to bag even more points before the curtain comes down on the campaign.

DJC’s cause was helped by the fact that Old Town only turned up for the game with 10 men, and the home side took full advantage through goals from Tom Thatcher and Anthony Duckett.

However, a goal either side of the interval hauled Old Town level but the visitors began to fade and two late strikes from Wayne Presley handed DJC the rare win.

“It will be nice for us to get off the bottom if we can before the end of the season, we really don’t want to finish there,” said Bevan.

“We’ve got four games left and we’ve got to try to get some more points on the board in that time.

“Old Town only had 10 men, so that helped us. We went 2-0 up but they got a goal back just before half time.

“Our first-half performance was very good and we could have had five or six goals but we are not used to winning so at the start of the second half I think panic set in a bit and they managed to equalise.

“They were the better team for the first 10 to 15 minutes even with 10 men but then I think tired legs began to set in and we scored two more goals to win.”

It is not all doom and gloom for DJC, though, and they could yet end the season with silverware as an excellent run in the George Thomas/Don Rogers Cup has taken them all the way through to May’s final.

“We’ve won more games in the cup than we have in the league,” added Bevan.

“We just can’t get the same group of players together each week. I’m naming a different team every game. All teams seem to be suffering from it, though, proven by the fact Old Town only had 10 against us.

“I guarantee everyone will be available for the final but that’s just the way it is sometimes.”

At the other end of the Premier Division table, Tawny Owl remain eight points clear at the summit thanks to an 8-0 success at Spectrum. Avtar Construction are their nearest challengers, with the second-placed side winning 4-2 at struggling Lower Stratton.

In Division One, Swindon Centurians cut the gap to leaders Swindon Spitfires with an emphatic 9-1 victory on the road at North Swindon WMC.

Ramsbury are up to third after beating visitors R&D United 3-1, while Bassett Bulldogs recorded a 2-0 win at home to Moredon.