ROMSEY Town boss Andy Samuels has challenged his players to show 100 per cent commitment to the promotion cause over the next three weeks.

Having let two points escape them in a 1-1 home draw against Downton last Saturday, the sixth-placed Bypass Boys can ill afford many more slip-ups if they are to cement a place in Sydenhams One’s top three.

Now Samuels is urging his entire squad to make themselves available for the final seven games to help take the club back where they belong in the top flight of Wessex football.

“For me, we’ve got three-and-a-half weeks left and I really hope the players know what to put as a priority,” said the boss.

“We can’t have them going away for weekends etc, because when we lose big players it hurts us.

“I hope they’re fully focussed on putting in that little bit extra to help us get promotion," he stressed.

“We need that little bit more to get us over the line.

“We’ve got seven games left and they’re all massive cup finals for us.

“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had an unbelievable season and the players deserve credit for that.

“But when you get so close, it’s frustrating if you do slip up.”

Frustration was the name of the game for Samuels last Saturday as Romsey frittered away a host of presentable chances against mid-table Downton.

Set-piece maestro Brett Stanley fired them ahead with a free-kick, but it was cancelled out by Shaun Prentice early in the second half.

“It was extremely disappointing,” Samuels confessed.

“We’re in a position where we have to pick up maximum points at home, but we just weren’t clinical enough.

“We should have been two or three up at half-time, but Dan Fox missed a simple chance and Craig Bryant missed a simple header.

“We spoke at half-time about keeping it tight in the second half but then, lo and behold, we conceded inside five minutes for 1-1.

“For 20 minutes we were all over the place. We lost our shape and discipline and we didn’t regroup as well as we’ve been doing all season.

“To be fair to Downton, they created some half-chances which, on another day, they would have taken.

“But we came strong again at the end, put two chances wide and Harry Draycott was denied by a good save.

“Then, in the last minute, Pearce Farren had a header which hit the post and went wide.

“Looking back, it’s two points dropped, but I’ll always be complimentary to the opposition and Downton improved a lot in the second half.”

Romsey, who travel to lowly Whitchurch United on Saturday, are just two points shy of third-placed Tadley Calleva with a game in hand.

Intriguingly, Tadley visit The Bypass Ground next Tuesday (7.45pm)