THERE is only one thing Marlow FC boss Mark Bartley wants this Christmas – league points.

His team have lost seven in a row in all competitions but he believes it’s the next four games that will define their season.

He said: “We’ve got four games in 12 days and those matches will ultimately shape our season.

“They will have a big bearing on what we do in the second half of the season.

“If we get on a run we can start looking up and pushing for mid-table.

“If not the teams behind us will close up a bit and we’ll have to roll our sleeves up for a relegation fight.”

Counting in their favour is the table; it’s likely Marlow will be higher placed than all their opponents over the festive period.

Their next two games are against the bottom two sides in the division.

Uxbridge are also beneath them while Chalfont St Peter, who they play on New Year’s Day, are just one point better off having played a game more.

Bartley said: “I hate making points predictions because you want to win every game.

“But if we come out of these four games in the same sort of position in the table then that’s not bad.

“We’re 15th, we’ve got to do better than the teams in and around us.”

Bartley has bolstered his squad with the arrival of Lewis Gabbidon, Adam Bygrave and Leius Sinclair in the last week, and he says last Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Royston won’t cast a shadow over their upcoming run.

They were 2-0 down after ten minutes and two more goals early in the second half settled it.

He said: “We started slowly in the first ten minutes of each half and they capitalised. I thought it would be a tough game and it was. You can see why they are where they are in the league.” It’s what happens next that matters for Marlow though.