SALTASH United head to Barnstaple on Saturday looking to end a barren spell which is holding back their hopes of a promotion play-off place.

Last Saturday’s narrow loss at Kellaway Park was the Ashes’ third successive league defeat and on the back of four previous draws, they have now gone seven games without a win.

They remain in the play-off picture, only four points behind Buckland Athletic with a game in-hand, but need to recover from their winter chill soon.

Manager Lee Britchford said: “We’ve got to look to bounce back, go there with a positive mindset and hopefully get a positive result.

“This is a young group and we expected this sort of blip to come at some point this season and we’ve got to do all we can to find a way out of it.”

For a start, Saltash could do with a change of luck. At Helston they hit the woodwork four times, including one effort from Deacon Thomson in the dying seconds.

After a poor and goalless first half, Connor Paine gave the home side the lead with a classy finish six minutes into the second half which ironically seemed to lift the Ashes out of their slumbers.

They were level within five minutes as Alfie Wotton headed in his first goal of the season and looked the better side in the last half-hour, only to be punished by a sucker punch from Helston nine minutes from time.

A defensive mix-up gave the space for 16-year-old substitute Callum Bassett to fire his shot over Ashes keeper Tyler Coombes into the net for what proved to be the winning goal.

It was Helston’s first win in seven games, stretching back to mid-November, while Saltash have to look back to November 1 against Brislington for their last league win.

A lack of goals has been a big factor in the Ashes’ poor spell, having scored only two goals in their last three games.

Britchford said: “I was really disappointed with the result. The first half was a non-event, we didn’t really show up or impose ourselves on the opposition in any way, shape or form.

“In the second half their goal sparked us into life and we were on top once we equalised and then had plenty of chances to take the game away from them.

“Unfortunately a mistake’s given them the result and we huffed and puffed after their second goal, producing a few more chances, but ultimately across the game our performance has cost us and that seems to be hurting us at the moment.

“No qualms about the result really; we didn’t do enough to win it, neither did they, but our mistakes gave them their goals.”

HELSTON ATHLETIC: Morgan Jones; Freddie Kemp, Camron McCabe, Blake Gordon-Dunn, Joe Cooper (Regan Hull, 70), Connor Paine, Olly Redd (Harry Morton, 89), Jake Warman, Tom Hands, Josh Daniel (Jackson Penhallurick, 60), Jude Tripconey (Callum Bassett, 70). Sub not used: Ethan Jorey.

SALTASH UNITED: Tyler Coombes; Max Everall, Alfie Wotton, Ben Goulty (Tyler Yendle, 85), Hayden Greening (Freddie Tolcher, 59), Charlie Elkington, Cole Fisher (Rhys McShane, 59), Fin Wilkes (Tom Huyton, 88), Deacon Thomson, Reece Thomson, Jack Jefford (Joe Preece, 59).

Ashes’ man-of-the-match: Charlie Elkington.