NEIL Wainwright is calling on his teammates to add a ruthless streak to their game in order to pull themselves away from the Third Division basement.

In the five league games under caretaker boss Mick Tait, Quakers have suffered just one defeat.

However, just three of those games ended in draws, leaving Tait's side just five points above bottom club Swansea.

"The next step is to make sure we start finishing off teams," said Wainwright. "We've made sure we're hard to beat and as we've shown we're well capable of beating anyone in this division.

"There's nothing much between us and the bottom teams so obviously it is important we start picking up a few more points."

Wainwright seems to be one of a number of players beginning to flourish under Tait and while he admits training sessions are anything but a stroll, he also confesses Tait's strict fitness regime has been beneficial to the team.

"Mick has got us all working very hard in training," said Wainwright.

"We're all a lot fitter and I think that is showing in the games."

One major change which has become apparent is the confidence and self-belief Tait has installed throughout the side. And Wainwright is one player who doesn't seem short of optimism.

"We're more than capable of competing with the best," said Wainwright. "No matter who the opposition is we're always looking to get three points.

"I think we've played very well in our recent matches and we've been very unfortunate not to come away with more from some of them.

"Even at Rushden we thought we played well enough to get something out of the game."

While no specific duration has been set on Tait's probation period, the former Hartlepool boss must surely be within touching distance of earning the manager's job permanently.

He endured a similar wait in charge as caretaker at Victoria Park when Hartlepool's then-chairman Harold Hornsey took his time before confirming Tait's permanent appointment.

But Wainwright is in no doubt that he is the right man for the job.

He said: "He's made a brilliant difference to the team and done a fantastic job. Mick's not afraid to change things around as we saw against Wrexham and that worked very well.

"Obviously it was disappointing to go two goals down at Shrewsbury, but once Mick made some changes at half-time we did well to get back in to the game and Clark (Keltie) almost won it for us."

Read more about the Quakers here.