Sutton United midfielder Francis Quarm reckons the memory of play-off heartache with Hampton can inspire his new club to go one step further and secure Ryman League Premier Division promotion.

The 26-year-old, whose fiancé gave birth to their first child Ava on Friday, has tasted defeat just once under new boss Paul Doswell since arriving at United in January.

The Beavers, under Alan Devonshire, suffered play-off heartbreak to Eastbourne Borough and Hayes & Yeading - last year- in successive campaigns, having finished the season strongly on both occasions.

Doswell’s men drew 0-0 with Bognor Regis Town on Saturday and Harrow Borough 1-0 on Tuesday to stretch their current unbeaten league run to 14 games and leave them as favourites for a top five finish.

But Quarm is hoping he can out to erase the memory of his last two trips to the play-offs by going one step further - albeit at a lower level - with his new club.

“We are getting the same sort of buzz we had at Hampton. You get that when you have something achievable to play for,” he said.

“We should cement our play-off place this month and who knows, we could yet win the league if Dartford do us a favour.

“Losing in the play-offs is not nice and I’ll be telling the lads exactly that if we get to the final. It is a horrible feeling.

“The Eastbourne defeat was the worst because we played well enough to win that. Losing again is something I don’t want to think about.”

Boss Doswell bemoaned his side’s lack of quality in Saturday’s stalemate, marred by a suspected broken ankle for defender Alan Bray that will rule him out for the rest of the season.

But United bounced straight back in mid-week through Charlie Taylor’s first-half strike - while leaders Dartford lost 1-0 to struggling Margate - to improve a record that has seen them lose just once since a 1-0 defeat at AFC Hornchurch on December 5.

There is no question of the Gander Green Lane chief taking his foot off the gas when it comes to selection and Quarm believes that will only serve the side well in the closing stages of the season.

“We are going into every game confident of winning,” he added.

“Once you go nine unbeaten it quickly becomes ten and so on, but we are just concentrating on each game and hopefully we will get there.

“When I joined the club there had been a few faces come in and a few leave, but team has been settled since then and that can only be a good thing.”

Sutton’s next three games: Mar 25 Croydon Athletic (a, SSC), 27 Hendon (h), 30 Billericay Town (a).