As Hartford Athletic surged toward a playoff berth at the end of last season, winning or drawing in 13 of its final 16 games, fans were thrilled that, playoffs or not, better times seemed ahead.

What a difference a few months makes.

Athletic (1-0-4) stumbled out of the gate this season, losing each of its first four USL games and falling to lower-league Portland Hearts of Pine in the U.S. Open Cup. In the process, Hartford scored just one league goal.

On Saturday, head coach Brendan Burke and Co. started to turn things around, blanking Birmingham Legion SC, 1-0, to earn their first victory of the season.

Deshane Beckford scored the lone goal for Athletic, firing home an assist from Mamadou Dieng in the 71st minute for his first tally of the season.

It was the best performance of the season for the club, as they surpassed season highs in shots, shots on target, and crosses.

Hartford returns to action on Saturday against Portland in a USL Cup game at 4 p.m. at Trinity Health Stadium.