We're now three games in and happy to be up and running. We lost the first game against a strong Ashton United side which wasn't entirely unexpected then got a point at Matlock. It takes a few games to get back up to speed after a layoff so the cup game against a lower league side gave us a welcome chance to gain some confidence. It's still very early days but I think we have a half decent squad capable of finishing in the top half of the league. The departures of Liam Hearn and Michael Williams have enabled the Club to bring in Anton Brown and he should be a big influence in midfield. The Whitby game has now been rearranged so we'll then be only three games behind. It is the league who rearrange fixtures so we are reliant on them to get us caught up but with so many midweek games being played at the start of the season we may have to wait a while. Therefore for a while we are likely to remain in a relatively low position in the league but with games in hand. 

Two of the five games mentioned have now been played and we've lost both. It's FA Cup time at Barwell tomorrow and everyone will feel much better if we can get through. Hopefully we will have Brown and Foster back in action after injury. I'm not sure if Barnsley will allow Dolan to play. A win would give us some confidence for the following home games and enable us to start climbing up the league table.  My team for tomorrow would be : Durrant, Coleman, Dolan, Brown, Baker, Foster, Rose, Gordon, Dwyer, Goddard, Bather. Admitted this is not an attacking lineup but Jones and Atkinson could be introduced if needed. I would settle for a replay.

What has become apparent from our seven league and cup results so far is that if we concede the first goal we lose but if we score the first goal we win. It is therefore vital that we score first and we should therefore go all out to try and do that. An early goal brings confidence and takes away the anxiety and risk of falling to a sucker punch that comes when needing to get a goal back. Another general rule is that we are usually stronger and perform better in the second half of games. Apart from the Cup game at Ashby, we have struggled to find the net. In our first two games against Ashton and Matlock we failed to score and in our last 4 games against Warrington, Whitby, Barwell (FA Cup) and Buxton we only scored once. It's still early days but it's obvious that after only scoring 3 goals in 5 league games we need to score more to give us any chance of climbing the league table.

After the disappointing defeat at Halesowen on Tuesday Ilkeston need to bounce back with a much more convincing performance against Stourbridge in the FA Cup. The Cup game brings the opportunity to earn some good money as well as the chance to progress further in the competition. Stourbridge are half way in our league with 14 points from 9 games . After losing their opening two games they have only lost once and are unbeaten in their last 4 games. This is a really important game for Ilkeston and a win would be so benefical for the Club.

We have now played 10 competitive games, (seven in the league) and it's time for a reality check. Preseason optimism is evaporating fast and we sit bottom of the league with just 4 points; 1 win 1 draw and 5 defeats. As things stand it doesn't look like we'll be challenging for a playoff spot but more likely battling to stay away from the relegation area. Of course things can quickly change but only if we can score more goals. The seven league matches that we've played have been against some of the stronger sides. We've played five of the current top seven so tomorrow's game at struggling Corby will be a defining test. If we lose that one it would seem like we're in for a battle against relegation. A draw or win would give us a much needed confidence boost. Confidence is everything and it must currently be low following three consecutive defeats. After Corby we are home to Barwell who we beat in the Cup and then home to third from bottom Skelmersdale. If we can pick up say two wins and a draw from these three games things will begin to look far rosier. 

After the Barwell game I came to the conclusion that we are just a couple of players short of having a decent squad that could challenge the top half of the table. I believe we are short of a creative player who has the sort of magic that can unlock a stubborn defence. These players are in short supply because they often can become a luxury when things are not going well but when they are on song they are capable of winning a game by doing something a bit different. The defence looked solid on Tuesday and Ross Durrant is a good keeper. The midfield was again very solid and Matk Shelton's goal was brilliantly opportunistic. The forwards are working hard but look to need more confidence so they can become more arrogant and therefore more of a threat to the opposition. I hope word is getting round that we are a difficult team to beat who are not going to be bullied by robust challenges. Barwell will have found that out on Tuesday night. I can't make it on Saturday which is a shame because I was looking forward to seeing us get nine pints out of nine. It may depend on how Skem react to their heavy defeat in midweek!