JAKE Smeeton is confident that Dorchester Town will be able to turn their season around before it is too late.

The defender believes the Magpies’ squad has enough quality in it for them to avoid a relegation battle.

While Dorchester, whose home game against Arlesey Town was postponed on Saturday due to a waterlogged pitch, have endured a tough time of it this term, it has been doubly frustrating for Smeeton.

The county town stalwart made his comeback for the club on Boxing Day after two months out with a hamstring problem – but now he is back and ready to make sure his side don’t drop any further in the league table.

And in only his second game back for the Magpies, Smeeton played a key role in a superb 0-0 draw at Poole Town on New Year’s Day, underlining just how much he had been missed during his spell on the sidelines.

“We’ve had a lot of new players coming in so it’s been a case of getting used to playing together and gelling as a team,” he said.

“We have got the quality that can win us games, but we just need to be more consistent in our performances.

“I like to think positively and with the players we’ve got, and the manager’s attitude, we have got a very good chance of staying up.

“It’s just a case of putting it all together and getting results.

“In terms of effort and togetherness, it was a great performance from us at Poole.

“It wasn’t the prettiest of games but we came together and managed to get a draw against the team that was top of the league.”

Smeeton’s fitness was tested to the maximum in those two matches at the Avenue and Tatnam.

But even on heavy pitches and going toe-to-toe with arguably the two best sides in the league, he played the full 90 minutes in both and came through them unscathed.

On his injury, he added: “It’s not 100 per cent but it’s getting there.

“I don’t think it will get any worse and playing has helped strengthen it.

“I managed to get 90 minutes against Weymouth and Poole, and it held up better than I expected.

“I did feel it slightly in the second half against Poole but not enough for me to come off.

“I hate not playing so it was frustrating to be out for that length of time.

“What made it worse was that the first game I missed because of the injury was the Bristol Rovers game in the FA Cup.

“But it’s the start of a new year now and hopefully I can have a good run of games.”