Mark Bartley believes his Marlow team are making steady progress as his third season in charge of the club draws to an end.

The Blues boss took the reins at Oak Tree Road in June 2012 with the club having just been relegated from the Southern League.

Bartley oversaw a title winning campaign in his first season in charge as Marlow won the Hellenic Premier Division before he guided the club to a 17th place finish last term.

This season the club are five places better off and still have a chance to finish in the top ten, with the manager admitting they’ve performed as expected.

Bartley said: “Unless you can go out and buy yourself the best players in the league, which is not a position we’re in, then you have to continually grow and gradually develop a squad that can improve year-on-year.

“Hopefully next year we’ll be closer to the play-offs and then you take your chances. You take that little bit of progress and I think year-on-year we’ve been able to see that.

“I would have liked us to have been higher. As a club we wanted to be mid-table, we thought that was about right and that’s where we are. As an individual I want to win every game, and I know that when I’ve got my first XI out we’re as good as anyone in this league.”

Marlow have been in and around mid-table for the majority of the season and consequently Bartley has seized the opportunity to blood some of the club’s youngsters without the fear of relegation as he shapes his squad for the future.

Youth team players Ryan Willmott, Charlie Bull and Usman Lulustani have made the step-up to senior football in recent weeks and they were all on the pitch as Marlow played out a 1-1 draw with Hanwell Town on Saturday.

“They’re really giving me food for thought in terms of building the squad for next season because they’re hungry, they’re full of energy, they’re trying to learn game and that’s exactly what I want to see,” said Bartley.

“I’ve been really pleased with them and it’s important for me that they continue to develop. I think one or two of them have got bright futures. Ryan Willmott started the game, he’s started five or six of the last eight and he’s been really, really good.

“He’s come in and he’s thrown his hat in the ring for next season not just to be a squad player but to be a starting full-back at the club.”

While Bartley felt the draw with Hanwell “wasn’t the worst result in the world” he was still left agitated after watching his side concede a late equaliser after Richie Whittingham had put them in front after 68 minutes.

He said: “I think we were the better side but they had a good last ten minutes where they turned the screw and managed to get themselves an equaliser.

“When you get your noses in front it’s always disappointing to concede an equaliser. It was a little bit of naivety, maybe a little bit of inexperience, on our part, but we’ll learn from that and I’m pretty sure we won’t do it again.”

Marlow have home advantage in their remaining two fixtures and will look to make the most of it when Bedford Town visit on Saturday.