FC CLACTON midfielder Charlie Thompson admitted being relieved to see the back of November - but is already looking forward to what he hopes will be a fruitful December.

The Seasiders finished last month on a disappointing note, losing 2-1 at rivals Stanway Rovers in the Tolleshunt D'Arcy Memorial Cup before crashing out of the FA Vase by the same scoreline against Eynesbury Rovers on Saturday.

Chris Ribchester grabbed a consolation in the latter contest but it proved too little, too late on a hugely disappointing afternoon at the Austin Arena.

Thompson admitted it was a bitter pill to swallow but vowed to stay positive and is already looking forward to a busy spell in the run-up to Christmas.

"We said afterwards that we need to put last week behind us," said the former Brightlingsea Regent man.

"It wasn't a good one - losing at Stanway and then going out of the Vase.

"We were very poor in the first game and didn't get anywhere near the standards we set ourselves.

"Saturday was a bit better but we know we're still capable of much more.

"The foundation for any success is workrate and we can't ever afford to let those levels drop.

"We're still in a strong position in the league and the top three is our target.

"We know it's going to be tough because there are strong sides in the mix, like Stowmarket and Stanway.

"But we're aiming for the top spots and feel we're capable of that.

"November didn't end well but we have to try and go unbeaten throughout December.

"Let's see where we are heading into the new year and then set a realistic target from there."

Clacton, who visit Gorleston on Saturday before ending 2019 with matches against Kirkley and Pakefield, Walsham-le-Willows and Stanway, had eliminated Southend Manor, Redbridge, Risborough Rangers and Saffron Walden Town in order to set up Saturday's Vase date.

But they fell short on the day and gave themselves a mountain to climb after conceding goals from Chris Lewis and Jordan Brown.

"I thought it was fairly even until they scored their first goal," said Thompson.

"It gave them a real lift and then we conceded a sloppy second, failing to deal with a long ball.

"We gave it a go after that but, unfortunately, it was just too late.

"I thought we worked hard, despite the result.

"There wasn't a weak link in that respect.

"But perhaps they wanted it that little bit more than us and that was disappointing.

"I think we only had two shots on target in the whole match.

"One was the goal and one was a free-kick.

"Other than that, we didn't have any other chances and I'm not sure if that was down to us or them defending well."