ALAN Kimble is strengthening his Maldon and Tiptree squad for the long term.

The Jammers boss is looking ahead not just to the end of this season but on to the 2015-16 campaign.

Maldon fell to a 1-0 defeat at the weekend at fifth-placed AFC Sudbury in what Kimble was expecting to be a tough game.

They lost out to a Ryan Henshaw goal on 16 minutes But Kimble has bolstered his team with the long-term signings of keeper Darren Behcet and midfielder Jonathon Nzengo.

Kimble said: “I was disappointed with the early goal.

“But after the match I wouldn’t have changed one of their players for one of mine.

“I was happy with our performance but not with the result.

“I think a draw would have been a fair result from the match.

“It was the first match for our new keeper Darren Behcet, his second outing at the club.

“I’ve got him for this season and the next and that was one of my aims.

“I have also got Jonathon Nzengo for this season and the next.

“I have signed a new centre-half Phil Anderson from Bishop’s Stortford.

“Gavin Greenfield will probably still be out for the weekend.

“So the squad is looking strong and it is what is needed to keep us in this league, which I have no doubt we will.

“There’s a lot of football still to play, 16 games and 48 points up for grabs.

“If we had won on Saturday we would have been up to 14th.”