BRIDGWATER Town boss Dave Pearse is hoping his side can pick themselves up over the festive season after a tricky pre-Christmas spell.

From the high of winning seven games on the spin, the Robins have since been knocked out of the FA Vase and lost consecutive league matches to Willand Rovers and Brislington.

Reflecting on Saturday’s 2-0 defeat in Bristol, Pearse said: “We played really well in the first half but couldn’t convert our chances.

“Jack Jenkins hit the bar and we had a few other half-chances but it didn’t drop for us.

“We struggled to do the horrible things and, though we passed the ball nicely, we didn’t do the dirty work, which is something Brislington are very good at.

“We didn’t help ourselves, either, as we switched off from our own throw-in and ended up giving away a penalty.”

Pearse admitted he is struggling to put his finger on why his side’s form has gone downhill of late, though notable absences have not helped their cause.

“We have really missed Jack Taylor and also struggled without Mike Duffy and Mark Armstrong in midfield, as they give us that bit of bite and physical presence.

“Fortunately, both [the latter two] are on their way back - Duffy is set to play for the reserves on Saturday and we are hoping to have Armstrong available.

“We also seem to be struggling a bit for confidence - the FA Vase defeat [against Melksham] seemed to really take a lot out of us.

“We are such a good team on paper but we need to start doing better without the ball and putting more tackles in.

“On Saturday, for example, Brislington were pressing in twos and threes whereas we were pressing as individuals.”

The Robins now face a festive double header at Fairfax Park, with Saturday’s visit of Street followed by a Boxing Day clash against Taylor's former club Wellington, which the striker will miss through injury.

Looking ahead to the festive fixtures, Pearse said: “Street are my favourites to win the league - I spent a bit of time there last season and they are a well-drilled, experienced team who have a good formula to win matches.

“Having said that, we were unfortunate to lose 3-0 up there earlier in the season - that scoreline was not a fair reflection of the game.

“We matched them for large parts of that game and we are a different side now to the one we were then.

"Wellington is an unpredictable one, as they are down the bottom but beat Buckland recently.

"We will hope for a big crowd for both games and we are aiming for six points."