HAYDEN BIRD praised his players for an "excellent team performance" after seeing his Merstham side run out 3-0 winners at Herne Bay on Saturday.
The Moatsiders boss was full of praise for his side after two Luke I'Anson goals either side of a Liam Wright strike completed a comfortable win at one of the Ryman League Division One South's early season surprise packages.
And Bird said it was no less than what his side deserved on the day.
"It was an excellent result and a very good team performance," he said.
"Everyone really contributed to the victory and it was a good win given the conditions [with the pitch decidedly heavy underfoot]."
Meanwhile, the Merstham boss said he could understand why his side's opponents had drawn attention in the early part of the season, with the newly-promoted Kent outfit earning several plaudits for their approach to the higher division following promotion from the Kent League Premier Division last season.
"You can see why they have done so well," he said.
"They have got some good little players and they are certainly a hard-working side."
But Bird said his Merstham side matched them and got their just rewards for a collective display, adding that the result was something for the Moatsiders to build on following a few indifferent results in recent weeks.
Merstham were, however, denied the chance to build momentum on Tuesday night when their scheduled Surrey Senior Cup clash with Woking was postponed for the third time.
This time it was down to the cold snap and a frozen pitch at Moatside, with Bird describing it as "a bit of a nuisance" that the second round tie had still not been played, having originally been scheduled to take place on November 20.
The match was then put back to November 27, but again it fell foul of the weather conditions, leaving this week the next feasible option.
And with Tuesday's chill putting paid to that, it is not yet known when the game will finally go ahead, much to the frustration of Bird.
"We really wanted to play," he said.
"Unfortunately, the weather bit us again in the end though and there's not much we can do about it."
Subsequently, Merstham will be hoping to do well against high-flying Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday when they visit Moatside in the league this Saturday.
The game will also be a chance for Bird to renew some old acquaintances, but the Moatsiders boss said his full focus was on winning the game.
He said: "There are some really good people there and they have been unlucky not to go up in the last couple of years.
"But they are up there challenging again and it should be another tough game for us."
