Hampton & Richmond Borough joint boss Paul Barry has admitted simply collecting Ryman Premier League points is the priority now the play-offs seem out of reach.
 

Barry had hoped for an impact from new signings Bradley Simmonds and Aaron Wickham on Saturday, but he had not banked on the rest of his squad having an off day as they crashed 2-0 at home to Grays Athletic.
 

The Beavers, 17th in the table, are more concerned with events over their shoulders rather than in the top half of the table.
 

But Barry is confident his young squad has what it takes to survive.
 

“You can carry one or two players in a game, but eight or nine of our players had an off day on Saturday,” he said.

“That is always likely to happen with a young squad. They cannot be consistent all the time. We’ve shown we are good enough to be in the top half of the table.”

“Three or four wins and we will be back up around the play-offs because everyone seems to be beating everyone at the minute.”
 

Former QPR trainee Simmonds, released from Loftus Road in the summer, is only available for one month before he returns to Iceland where he plays under ex-Brentford defender Hermann Hreiðarsson at IBV.
 

And Barry, who takes his side to Lowestoft Town on Saturday, will make the most of the 19-year-old while he is in the country.
 

“He is James Simmonds brother and he has come to get some games under his belt,” he added.
 

“He’ll be going back to Iceland in January and hopefully he can play as much as he can until then.
 

“It is a long journey to Lowestoft and it will be a tough game for us to get something out of.”