Boro goalkeeper Ashley Bayes is determined to hold down a first team place after being given a chance due to Chris Day s injury. Bayes has been in impressive form since Day sustained a thumb injury during Boro s 0-0 draw against Hayes & Yeading and the f

Boro goalkeeper Ashley Bayes is determined to hold down a first team place after being given a chance due to Chris Day's injury.

Bayes has been in impressive form since Day sustained a thumb injury during Boro's 1-1 draw against Hayes & Yeading and the former Crawley man hopes to stay as manager Graham Westley's number one.

"I'm really enjoying playing and hopefully that can continue," Bayes told The Comet. "It's obviously been frustrating not getting as many games as I would like.

"But Chris has got injured and I've come in and tried to take my chance - that's all you can do."

With Day still likely to be out for another couple of weeks, Bayes will have a further chance to impress when Boro take on Rushden & Diamonds on Saturday.

The 37-year-old insisted that morale is still high in the dressing room despite the club tasting defeat for the first time this season against Oxford and hopes Boro can get back to winning ways for the visit of Justin Edinburgh's men.

"It was disappointing to lose at the weekend but we've just got to bounce back against Rushden," he added. "We've got some tough games coming up but they're all tough in this league. Everyone is beating everyone at the minute but we want to establish a pattern like we did last year.

"The atmosphere amongst the lads is still buzzing - the gaffer wouldn't have it any other way. He will make sure that we are all moving in the right direction and build for Saturday.