BRIDGWATER Town boss Phil Hucker has insisted that his side will keep fighting to keep their slim Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West survival hopes alive until staying up becomes mathematically impossible, writes Paul Martin.

The Robins fell to their 11th consecutive league defeat on Saturday as they went down 2-0 at home to fellow strugglers AFC Totton, but Hucker was impressed with the overall display.

“It was a very positive performance,” he said.

“We had some good chances in the first half but their goalkeeper made some excellent saves, and it could have been a different game had we got the first goal.”

“They hit us with two good goals early in the second half and that summed up the difference between the two sides – the quality in both boxes.

“We couldn’t take our chances and they took theirs, and ultimately that decided the game.”

Town’s latest defeat leaves them 18 points adrift of safety and relegation to the Toolstation Western League looks almost certain, but the manager was adamant that his side are not yet resigned to their fate.

“Of course survival is a very big ask, but until it becomes mathematically impossible you never know,” he said.

A key part of Hucker’s remit since his arrival in January has been the development of young players, something that will become more prevalent in the closing months of the season as their survival chances diminish.

“I will definitely keep playing the young lads and giving some more the opportunity to play,” the manager confirmed.

“I will have to be selective in which games I pick youngsters for - I don’t want to throw them in against Taunton or Salisbury, for example, as it would be unfair to ask them to perform at their best against the top teams.

 “But a great positive of Saturday was seeing how well two of our youngsters, Liam Kingston and Jack Goodhall, both played.

“They are both 17 years old and performed excellently, and were two of three 17-year-olds that finished the game on the pitch for us.”

Bridgwater’s match with second-bottom Wantage Town on Saturday represents a last-chance saloon for the Robins – for a full preview of that match, visit this website on Friday.