We worked hard over the Bank Holiday weekend, with two games in three days. It was a weekend of two halves, because we followed a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Braintree with a scintillating 5-0 win at Bognor.
Braintree played a spoiling game. They were looking to avoid defeat and they managed to do so. They got all their men behind the ball, doubled up on the wingers, and sometimes got naughty when it looked like we might break through. That’s the way they’ve always played. They got another 0-0 on Monday, and they’ll do so again and again. They’ll win 1-0 a lot too. It won’t be exciting to watch, but I’d be surprised if they weren’t there or thereabouts at the end of the season. It may not be pretty - it was a boring match, and a disappointment to me, the players and the fans - but it’s certainly effective. You just get games like that every now and again, though a side with our flair and attacking mentality should have at least managed to get a shot or two on target.
On Monday it was a completely different scenario. We were unbelievable; some of our football was sublime. We could have won 10-0, no joke, but five has put a very healthy balance in our goals-for account, and we’re now on the top of the table, tied with Bath City on 13 points.
Boothy scored the first two. The first was a penalty. We hardly got one last season, and we’ve had five already this time round. It’s unbelievable. The second was a cracker. I was screaming at Willo, our goalkeeper, to release the ball, because of the five second rule. He punted it forward. It bounced over the centre-half’s head, and Boothy volleyed it straight into the back of the net. “What were you shouting at me about?” Willo yelled back at me, straight afterwards.