Better but not there yet

Some positive signs at last against an understrength Oldham. If only we were not such a soft touch at the back. Daniels is still unconvincing and far too keen on staying rooted to his line at all costs.

The quality of Rowe is starting to show, Hopper is slowly getting back to his best and with Williams on the way back too we can be a little more optimistic about the coming weeks. The pressure has certainly lifted from Mark Robins for the moment. A few goals at home for the faithful few is what we require now.

We are starting to see the developement of a decent L1 football team, and the tightness of that league would suggest that it wouldn't take a lot more improvement to see us climb into the top half. The same tightness however, also means that we would have to sustain the improvement for a long time if we were to remain there.

The positives you mentioned, Hopper's improved form, Rowe's obvious quality, the advent of a Luke Williams return, plus the added positivity of Paddy Madden and Kevin Van Veen donning their shooting boots at last, all bode well for the immediate future.

The slight worry is Mark's insistance that Luke Daniels is our best option in goal, while Anyon, who is the better keeper remains on the bench. Then there is the concern about our loanees, will we be able to hang on for any of them for the rest of the season? It would be nice if we could keep them all IMO, with Rowe and Wallace on a permanent basis, and Lolley till the end of the season.

Keepng David Mirfin