Royston Town manager Steve Castle has saluted recently-appointed club captain Kaan Fehmi after the striker fired his side to a New Year’s Day league victory.

The hosts fought off stern Barton Rovers pressure throughout the Southern League Division One Central affair, leaving Fehmi’s 55th-minute low drive enough to secure the Crows’ first three points of 2015.

The captaincy seems to bringing the best out of the forward, with four goals in three league appearances, leaving his boss currently impressed.

Castle told the Crow: “Kaan is in terrific form at the moment and long may it continue.

“No disrespect to our previous captain Jack Bradshaw but I know how much of a burden holding the captain’s armband can be and you can’t always play your best football while being captain so to get the best out of Jack, I thought a change would be good for the lads.

“Kaan is a character in the squad and well liked so I thought he would be an ideal fit for the role and he has not let me down.

“His all-round game has been terrific and after a poor start to his tenure in terms of losing a couple of games, he and the players have picked up their form.

“Kaan has been a pleasure to work with as of late.”

The Crows were in the midst of a dismal run in which they had gained just one win in seven matches across all competitions but three wins on the trot, culminating in their 1-0 Barton triumph, have left Castle much more positive about the team’s prospects.

He said: “We have really turned it around in the last couple of matches and I would say we are almost back on track.

“There is a lot more work to do though and we knew that before the Barton game.

“In my mind, that game was a six-pointer as we are so close in the table but we came through it and now we can concentrate on moving above them and further up the table.

“Combined with the fact we have had a mixed bag with injuries to players like George Powell, I am pleased at the moment.

“The postponement of our game last Saturday at AFC Hayes was a little disappointing because we would have liked to have had a go at keeping the run going but we have another chance against Aylesbury this week to continue the winning.”