"We are getting away from the bottom of the table gradually and my aim when I came in was to get us in the top half," Dearden told the Nottingham Evening Post on Monday.
"I think we are going forward in trying to do that, but it takes time and it is not going to happen overnight.
"When you have two of your main players out (Barry Conlon and Jake Buxton) it makes a big difference at this level, as we saw against Shrewsbury.
"But I was pleased with the lads who came in, even if I was disappointed we did not get the win."