Mark Butler admits the ability to dig in and grind a result has been the key ingredient in Carshalton Athletic exceeding expectations so far this campaign.

The Robins sit eighth in the Ryman Premier table after Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Bury Town, making it seven points from the last nine.

And Butler hopes the refinding of form will see Carshalton make even further progress.

He said: “We had a blip after the FA Cup defeat at Chelmsford - no doubt about it.

“But now we have three clean sheets on the bounce and two wins from three games.

“I think it has just been a case of grinding things out and working our way back into things.

“In Saturday’s game with Maidstone (a 0-0 draw) they were the better side, but we worked very hard and got a point without playing very well.

“We kept that run going and that brought the confidence to get our passing game going again against Bury.”

Michael Boateng grabbed Tuesday’s winner, earning a useful three points.

And the Robins boss reckons the Athletic fans would have been delighted with what they saw.

Butler added: “I thought we pulverised Bury and played some great football.

“1-0 flattered them and no one could argue with the result.

“We have had to live up to higher expectations this season as we have raised the bar standards-wise in some of the games.

“The fans are quite rightly expecting a level of performance, but I think they have been a tad unfair at times considering where we have come from.

“Now we go to Tooting looking to keep this going.

“Obviously we have played them already so we know what to expect, but the key in this league is being up for the game yourself and making sure you are ready for any opportunity.”

Carshalton Athletic’s next three matches: Nov 20 Tooting & Mitcham (a), 23 Wealdstone (h), 27 Harrow Borough (a)