A TESTING pre-season regime may have given Maldon and Tiptree head coach Wayne Brown a confident feeling that it could be third time lucky for the Jammers but he keeps his thoughts private, writes JON LONGMAN.

Brown never looks further ahead than the next game but the Jammers missed out on promotion two years ago when the club were 18 points clear and destined for a place in the Isthmian Premier.

They were well placed last season to earn promotion again but they had only an FA Cup First Round tie and a run in the FA Trophy run to show for their ‘null and void’ efforts.

The Jammers have had mixed pre-season results with the final two seeing the club force a 2-2 draw at National League South side Billericay and then suffer a 2-0 defeat against Concord Rangers last Saturday.

Brown has defended his decision to toughen up against peers and higher clubs and avoid playing lower league teams to bag meaningless wins.

Brown says: “There is method in my madness. The reason for playing higher clubs is that they carry more numbers and they are fitter than us.

“The only way we can get fitter is to play teams like Billericay and Concord Rangers.

“We have been working on how we can hurt our rivals and working on the detail of how we are going to do that.”

The Billericay friendly was a little feisty with Bradley McClenagan twice putting the Jammers ahead twice only to be foiled by improving Billericay.

Brown gave pitch time to his latest signings — Laste Dombaxe, 26, back after a season with Haringey, and attacking wide man Malik Jihiemi, a capture from Crawley.

Fans’ favourite Charlee Hughes, back at Park Drive and one of the heroes of the FA Cup run two years ago, played the first hour.

All three are likely to figure in Brown’s plans for a flying start to the North Division campaign against Romford at Barking’s ground on Saturday (3pm) before the Jammers continue their happy association with the FA Cup when North rivals Aveley visit Park Drive in the preliminary round, on Saturday week.