Post by Amber Aleman on Nov 7, 2010 19:21:41 GMT
As the Editor has given me my cue in another thread, I'd better respond.
We've now played 14 league games, so we're a third of the way through the league season. Top of the table with 31 points isn't a bad place to be! We've accumulated nine points more than we had after the same number of games last season. But we shouldn't get carried away: Dartford piled up 38 points from their first 14 league matches of 2009/10.
I said in my last stocktake in September that if we want to win the league we should be looking to take at least 15 points from every seven games. We took 19 points from the first seven, but a more modest 12 from the next seven. That still averages out at just over 15 - so we're on target. And the last seven did include two of the toughest fixtures of the season, away to Kingstonian and Lowestoft, the clubs just below us in the table.
Our success continues to be built on a solid defence - along with Lowestoft we've got the best 'goals against' record in the division with just eight conceded. Until recently our 'goals for' record was looking a bit of an Achilles heel - but two 3-0 wins in the last week have taken our goal tally up to 23. That makes us the joint third highest scorers in the division (after today's results), just two behind Cray and one behind K's.
Going out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle has at least meant we haven't fallen behind with our league fixtures (as happened in the last two seasons). But if we overcome Billericay in the next qualifying round of the Trophy we'll have got further in that competition than in the last two seasons. Swings and roundabouts?
If there's one slight worry it's that most of our league victories have been against sides now in the bottom half of the table. We've played six of the top eleven, and of those we've only managed to beat Billericay (1-0 at home) with four of the matches being drawn. We do have a certain top-of-the-table derby coming up on Tuesday, and that will be an important test of our mettle.
We've now played 14 league games, so we're a third of the way through the league season. Top of the table with 31 points isn't a bad place to be! We've accumulated nine points more than we had after the same number of games last season. But we shouldn't get carried away: Dartford piled up 38 points from their first 14 league matches of 2009/10.
I said in my last stocktake in September that if we want to win the league we should be looking to take at least 15 points from every seven games. We took 19 points from the first seven, but a more modest 12 from the next seven. That still averages out at just over 15 - so we're on target. And the last seven did include two of the toughest fixtures of the season, away to Kingstonian and Lowestoft, the clubs just below us in the table.
Our success continues to be built on a solid defence - along with Lowestoft we've got the best 'goals against' record in the division with just eight conceded. Until recently our 'goals for' record was looking a bit of an Achilles heel - but two 3-0 wins in the last week have taken our goal tally up to 23. That makes us the joint third highest scorers in the division (after today's results), just two behind Cray and one behind K's.
Going out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle has at least meant we haven't fallen behind with our league fixtures (as happened in the last two seasons). But if we overcome Billericay in the next qualifying round of the Trophy we'll have got further in that competition than in the last two seasons. Swings and roundabouts?
If there's one slight worry it's that most of our league victories have been against sides now in the bottom half of the table. We've played six of the top eleven, and of those we've only managed to beat Billericay (1-0 at home) with four of the matches being drawn. We do have a certain top-of-the-table derby coming up on Tuesday, and that will be an important test of our mettle.