BASINGSTOKE Town continued their upward trajectory with a hard-fought 1-0 away win against struggling Poole Town.

Manager Dan Brownlie praised his team's "gritty" performance, which extends their unbeaten run to four games and leaves Poole winless in six.

Despite fielding a makeshift lineup due to injuries, Basingstoke started brightly on a challenging pitch.

Both sides traded early blows, with Liam Ferdinand and Bradley Wilson coming close for the visitors.

The deadlock was broken past the half-hour mark through a towering header from Billy Upton.

Ben Cook's whipped corner found the unmarked Upton, who guided the ball past Poole goalkeeper Thomas for his sixth goal of the season.

Basingstoke were forced to make a first-half substitution due to an injury, while Poole emerged with renewed purpose after the break.

However, clear-cut chances remained few and far between, with Jake Scrimshaw and Luke Pardoe coming closest for the Dolphins.

Basingstoke, meanwhile, relied on counter-attacks and nearly added a second through Liam Ferdinand in the latter stages.

The difficult pitch conditions hampered both teams' fluidity, leading to a scrappy midfield battle.

Basingstoke's defence stood firm under late pressure, repelling numerous Poole crosses and securing a clean sheet alongside the valuable three points.

After the game, Brownlie praised his players.

He said: “I think first-half we created some really nice moments a lot of them counterattack and we soaked up the pressure although the goal came from a set piece.

“Second half we rode our luck at times, but as I said to the boys, when you work hard, you earn a bit of luck and part of that luck is you're close enough to the man to allow his shot to go over.”

‘Stoke are now placed 11th with 40 points from 32 games.

They are nine points adrift of the last play-off spot.

But with their confidence soaring, Basingstoke now set their sights on hosting Plymouth Parkway on Saturday, February 24.

The visitors, returning after a lengthy break due to pitch issues, will be a different kind of challenge, but Basingstoke will be looking to extend their impressive run.