Steve Castle needs his Bishop’s Stortford players to be up for the fight when they host Hitchin Town in Southern League Premier Central

Steve Castle needs his Bishop’s Stortford players to be up for the fight when they welcome Hitchin Town to the RDA Stadium for a crunch clash on Saturday (March 8).

The manager saw his side suffer a disappointing 4-1 defeat at relegation rivals Barwell at the weekend and get dragged back to within six points of the drop zone with nine games remaining.

And he wants them to go into the contest against the second-from-bottom Canaries with a positive frame of mind.

“We didn’t go about it the right way, so Barwell deserved the victory,” said Blues boss Castle.

“We didn’t approach it like we have done when we’ve played against the top teams. We were a little bit lacklustre.

“It does happen, but it can’t become a habit because we still need wins to make sure we’re safe this season.

“I don’t say this about my group ever, but I thought maybe Barwell wanted the victory more than we did.

“It was disappointing and we’ll have to be at it against Hitchin, another team below us. We need to have the mindset that we’re taking on a top team.”

Brad Russell was fit enough to be on the bench against Barwell, but was not risked and so could make his return against Hitchin.

Meanwhile, striker Jack Roberts has left the club after receiving a good offer from the Blues’ Premier Central rivals Spalding United.

The former Rangers youth player scored eight goals in 23 appearances for Stortford, including a hat-trick in November’s 3-1 away victory over his new employers.