WE gave it the big build up. We pinned all our hopes and dreams on it. We understood the financial ramifications. We then witnessed another pitiful exit from the FA Cup with all of the hallmarks that go hand in hand with our dreadful recent relationship with cup competitions.

For some in attendance, it all got a bit too much to take. That said, however one goes about airing their frustrations about the management, the team or individual players, there are some justifiable questions to be asked about why we are watching a side that simply can’t cut the mustard on a regular enough basis to justify all the talk in the summer of playoff expectations.

I think some fans, myself included, would have happily settled for a transitioning season with a solid mid-table finish and a decent run in one of the cups. The FA Cup has come and gone and with the league season already a quarter of the way complete our form to date would suggest that even a safe, mid-table finish might be a bit of a stiff ask. All of this coupled with the sub-plot of the fans having to dig deep in the summer to fund the playing squad means the atmosphere at Blackwell Meadows feels like it has nosedived. While we can cling on to some positives seen this season, I get the sense that we’re not in the best of places right now.

Before Saturday’s game, the main focus was the prize money on offer: £9,000 would have gone a long way for a club like ours. Yet a much bigger issue for the club’s bottom line is what happens on the pitch. Let’s face it, fans don’t come to Blackwell Meadows for the experience. They come to watch Darlo and if the football isn’t good there’s a decent chance the crowds will fall. The impact of that makes the £9,000 on offer on Saturday appear almost insignificant. Losing 2-300 off the gate on a regular basis creates real problems. It is that reason, more than any, that Tommy Wright and his players need to get their acts sorted out and start giving floating fans a reason to come down on a Saturday to pay for their wages. One win in six home matches, two decent performances in those six is simply not good enough. It turns out fortress Blackwell Meadows is actually more of a day spa for visiting sides with their every wish catered for.

I don’t believe Tommy spent the summer bringing in duds. I genuinely believe we have some decent players but there simply doesn’t seem to be a coherent strategy to get the best out of the players we have. We seem to play differently with every game rather than finding a consistent approach that we can build on. Of course injuries are a big issue with finding consistency, but I would like to think that if a player is missing we could slot another guy in and he would have a reasonable idea of what the role was about. Missing one player like Joe Wheatley shouldn’t be the end of the world and yet right now it feels like it is.

If Tommy and the players were to read this, I would implore them to get this sorted. The first quarter of the season has simply not been good enough but that doesn’t mean the season has to be written off. Let’s regroup. Let’s learn from how we’ve been punished. Let’s focus on our strengths and work out how to profit from them. This season needs kick starting and it needs to be done sooner rather than later.