Hampton & Richmond Borough skipper Dean Wells reckons the last seven days has seen the best - and worst - of the Beavers this season.

Boss Alan Devonshire’s men crashed 2-1 at the manager’s former club on Saturday, before delivering a stunning performance to brush aside play-off hopefuls Bath City on Tuesday.

The mid-week win moved Hampton 11 points clear of the Blue Square South drop-zone, meaning the Beveree side ought to be safe from relegation barring a freak run of results over the remaining 10 games of the campaign.

Dave Tarpey, Dean Inman and Craig Dundas found the net to make it a memorable night for Wells’ side, and the Station Road skipper it has brought some light relief to an otherwise troubled campaign.

“The truth be told, the Maidenhead game was probably the worst we have played all season against a side that wasn’t up to much themselves. It was awful,” he said.

“We owed it to Dev and ourselves to put in a performance on Tuesday and I say it was the best league performance we’ve put in since the start of the season.

“The two games were poles apart. We were Brazil on Tuesday, and Grange Hill at the weekend.

“We will keep going until it is mathematically impossible for us to go down, but a couple more wins should mean we are safe which is a big a relief.”

Devonshire has seen a host of players leave the Beveree this season as the playing budget has been cut, and has spent much of the campaign piecing together the foundations of a new squad.

And Wells is confident the pain of this season - that has seen Hampton struggle at the wrong end of the table - is worth going through should it a bring a promotion assault next year.

“A lot of good players have left and a few players have had to step up. It is starting to come good,” he added.

“The players that have come in will know what it takes to be successful in this league.

“Dev probably needs to bring one or two players - which I’m sure he will do - and there will then be good competition for places.”

But first Wells is keen to finish this campaign on a high, starting with addressing the side’s disappointing home form with the visit of Eastleigh at the weekend.

“We’ve been awful at home, which is unusual for us. I can’t put my finger on it, but we need to make sure it changes,” he said.

“Saturday will be a physical game, against a half-decent team. It will be tough.”

Hampton’s next three games: Mar 20 Eastleigh (h), 23 Woking (a), 27 Chelmsford City (a).