Walsh praises Loxwood for escaping drop zone but stresses they 'can’t take their foot off the gas'

The Magpies sit 16th, four places and six points above the drop, marking a dramatic turnaround in fortunes for the club.

When Walsh took over on October 31, Loxwood sat second-from-bottom but now have breathing space between them and the relegation zone.

The Magpies boss said: “It’s been a vast improvement. It’s nice to be out of it.

“Everyday you’re in it does drain you and you are very conscious of it.

“At the moment we are out of it and we’re in a good position, but we’re more than aware of what we still need to do.

“We can’t take our foot off the gas. We need to try and be competitive in all three games and try and pick up nine points out of nine.

“We want to make sure we’re safe and we don’t want to leave it until the last day of the season.”

SEE ALSO Loxwood 'hard done by' in defeat to high-flying Eastbourne Town | Loxwood boss Walsh: 'I'm so proud of the players' | Two-goal debutant hailed by Walsh as Loxwood secure vital victory in relegation battleWalsh’s first order of business was bringing in players to aide their escape from danger.

The Loxwood boss brought in seven players in his first month at Plaistow Road and several of the new boys, like Sam Karl and Jason Dawson, have played a vital part in the Magpies’ upturn in form.

Walsh added: “We had a few links with other clubs. Worthing and Lewes have been great to us.

“We’re really grateful to (Worthing boss) Adam Hinshelwood and (Lewes manager) Darren Freeman for helping us.

“It’s nice to be able to have good, young players down at Loxwood. The likes of Sam Karl, Matt (Boiling) and Jason (Dawson) are all good players and I think they can play at a very good level.”

Loxwood return to action this Saturday as they host Crawley Down Gatwick, before they travel to Broadbridge Heath on Tuesday.