The benefit of keeping a clean sheet was in full evidence as Witham Town snatched an invaluable three points in their quest to avoid relegation from the Ryman League premier division.

Chris Bryan’s first-half penalty earned Witham the win against Peacehaven and Telscombe that saw them build on a 2-2 draw against Bognor Regis Town last weekend and pulled them clear of the drop zone ahead of Saturday’s trip to East Thurrock United.

However, it was the clean sheet they kept in the game against Peacehaven that laid the foundations for their success as they shut out an opposition for the first time in the league since September.

And it highlighted what manager Garry Kimble had felt was a major factor in his team’s plight.

He said: “Whoever I seemed to be putting in, we’d been conceding goals.

“We seemed to be letting in two every game and I couldn’t put my finger on why that should be the case.

“If we keep a clean sheet, then we’re in the game and we know that.

“I really can’t fault the effort I’ve seen from them, but we have to stop leaking goals.

"That’s been a worry.

“Hopefully we’ll start keeping some more clean sheets now, but we have to be ruthless at the back.

“Defenders are there to defend, but it goes through the whole team and everyone has to work hard.

“Individual errors have been costing us and collectively we have leaked too many goals.

“Two goals a game is relegation form.

“Until, as a team, we stop that, there’s only one way that we’re going to be heading.

“However, I’m confident in the players’ ability that we can stop and get ourselves out of it.