BEFORE the start of the new campaign we divided the season into six groups of seven matches and gave the team and individual players targets for those matches.

The first section finished at Farnborough last Saturday with the results exceeding our aspirations. Team targets were to concede no more than six goals, this we achieved; to score 15 goals, surpassed by a further eight goals, and to achieve a points total of 14, this we exceeded by five, so it has been an impressive start.

In addition, several players hit their goals target. Ben Smith took the first prize with Steve Guinan and Tony James, second and third.

To celebrate, we allowed the players to enjoy five-a-side on the pitch. Players love nothing more than a five-a-side but I have never been a great believer in them as part of the training schedule, probably because I can no longer take part in them, so Monday was a rare treat. They then went off go-karting in the afternoon, spending my hard-earned Nationwide Conference Manager of the Month award money. I'm told that Paul Parry was the Michael Schumacher of the party, but all had an enjoyable time.

This Saturday sees the start of the next seven-match sequence with team targets and individual goals targets starting all over again. The first set has been confined to the bin. They mean nothing now as the players set themselves to meet new challenges. It was Richard O'Kelly who first reminded the players that Saturday's newspaper reports are Monday's fish and chip paper (for those who can remember when fish & chips were actually wrapped in newspaper). Nobody will be allowed to rest on their laurels.

What has amazed me has been the reaction from the players after our victories. There has been calmness in the dressing room, no shouting and no banging fists, just a professional attitude. It's a relief to have a home match this weekend.

We have grounds for complaint in terms of the fixtures because we have only had one home match on a Saturday in the opening five weekends of the season.

People get out of the habit of going to Saturday football matches. And if it had not been for such a good attendance for the match against Aldershot on Bank Holiday Monday, we would have had a cash-flow problem at the club.