STUART Heath claimed that Dorchester Town will not give up the fight to get out of the Skrill South drop zone following their goalless home draw with high-flying Sutton United.

A solid defensive display from the Magpies ensured a well-deserved point at the Avenue on Saturday, and Heath claimed they were more than a match for their full-time opponents.

The assistant-manager told Echosport: “We had a period in the second-half where we really got on the front foot and caused them problems, but as has been the case for much of this season, we didn’t turn that into goals.

“We have made it quite clear to the players that while draws against teams like Sutton and Eastleigh are a good effort, we have got 11 games left and we need to win six or seven of them, it’s as simple as that.”

On his side’s defensive resilience, Heath added: “To keep two clean sheets this season against a team like Sutton shows what we can do if our focus and concentration is good.

“I thought Nathan Walker gave one of the best central-defensive displays I have seen for a long time, he was exceptional both in open play and at set pieces. Jake McCarthy has also taken Mark Jermyn’s place and played beyond his years.”

And although the Magpies remain bottom of the division and face an uphill task to claw back to safety, Heath insisted that his squad would not give up until the end of the season.

“If we don’t believe we are going to stay up then we will definitely go down,” he added.

“It’s always been the sole aim to stay in this league, I think for most people it will be against all odds but we are still in touch and we will keep fighting until the last kick of the game.

“We have to fully believe that we are going to stay up in this division. We have to be mentally tough in this next six weeks and have no regrets come the end of the season.”

Dorchester Town Reserves also maintained their lead at the top of the Wyvern League on Thursday evening with a 1-0 victory away at Moneyfields.

Striker Antony Carlisle got his name on the score sheet for the Magpies.

Magpies’ Reserves: Reynolds, Hanger, Bathie (Gwenzi), Case, Michie, Smith, Pidgeley, Way, Carlisle, Vallier (Tennant), Twyford.