Halstead Town chairman Carl Pearse gives backing to manager Mark McLean amid troubling start to Essex Senior League Premier Division season

They may be in midst of their worst start to a season in living memory, but Halstead Town’s hierarchy have backed their manager to turn things around.

The Humbugs head to Hertfordshire on Saturday to face Sawbridgeworth Town (3pm) with just two wins to their name from their opening 12 matches in the Essex Senior League Premier Division to leave them second from bottom of the table.

While Halstead go into the fixture on the back of a win – having lifted them off themselves off the basement with a 2-1 scoreline at home to newly-promoted Benfleet in midweek– it still left them with six defeats from their last seven league matches and six from eight in all competitions (two wins).

Their upcoming opponents will also be hoping to have started to turn a corner, having lost four on the bounce ahead of a win and a draw – 3-3 at Buckhurst Hill on Tuesday – in their latest two in the league to leave them a point from Halstead in the last relegation spot.

Halstead chairman Carl Pearse has said there are ‘mitigating circumstances’ behind his club’s poor start to the campaign and he is looking to give his manager Mark McLean – who got them back up to Step 5 of the pyramid just over three years ago – every opportunity to get their season back on track.

Asked ahead of Tuesday’s victory arriving for his thoughts on how their latest campaign has begun, having seen the Scotsman build on a 15th-placed finish after promotion to end up 10th last term, he said: “As a club we fully support Mark.

“There is mitigating circumstances over why we are in the position we are in which is a very long injury list and that combined with brining new players in to replace player that have departed.

“It was always going to be a tough start to the season but that tough start has been longer than we expected as, unfortunately, that injury list is only getting longer.”

He added: “We are not in panic mode, we are fully behind Mark and intend to give him the support he deserves.”

Pearse admitted they were in a ‘massive week’ for the club as the players and management look to get points on the board with a pair of positive results within the space of five days.

It comes after Saturday’s hugely disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Harleston Town – who are down in 15th place in the Thurlow Nunn Legue Premier Division – in the Isuzu FA Vase First Round Proper.

Ryan Crisp fired Harleston into a 12th-minute lead which is how it remained until the final 10 minutes, which saw Halstead have to finish the game with 10 men after attacker Asa Cansdale was sent to the sin bin.

Straight from the next play, Harleston doubled their advantage via Rob Turner and went on to score a third goal late on via Asa McGeachy.

But Halstead showed their character on Tuesday to come from behind, with Nathan Scraborough’s tap-in on a cross getting them level by the break.

The eventual winner in a back-and-forth contest eventually arrived for the hosts in the 88th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Jamie Eveleigh was upended and the former AFC Sudbury Academy player dusted himself down before dispatching it.

The game was also notable for former captain Lewis Cunliffe making his return, starting in the number 4 shirt.