After The Lord Mayor's Show.....

Many will argue at the moment that we are not. Facts do tend to back this up. One win in eight league games, no away win since we triumphed at Rochdale at the back end of October, just one league goal in 2004 - I could go on but it's pointless at this stage.

We lie in 10th place in the league, eight points off the play offs and slipping. We are 11 points adrift of the team in sixth place and a whopping 18 points off the automatic promotion spots. We are not a team heading for promotion at this moment in time. Now we have had the convenient excuse of the FA Cup distracting us but let's put this excuse into perspective: -

The first round was November 8, this could not have been a distraction. December 6 saw the 2nd round - Stevenage at home - shouldn't have distracted us too much. The draw against Macclesfield for January 3 again shouldn't have distracted us - Preston and Tranmere are the only games that could have - we only played 4 games in that period. It may be my imagination but maybe it is only the fans that were distracted by the FA Cup and allowed the really poor league form to go relatively un-noticed or un-questioned?

The fact of the matter is that since the end of September we have won a pitiful 4 of 17 league games - taking just 19 points out of a possible 51. And yet we still believe that we are heading for promotion? Dose of reality needed somewhere surely? 14 league goals in the same period also set alarm bells ringing - those last 17 games are near relegation form over a whole season not promotion form.

Of course, the start that we made to the season meant that relegation is not really in our vocabulary this season and thank god for that but at the same time, we have to face the reality that we need to improve 75-100% of we are to get the success that we crave.

I also don't like the 'it's an improvement on last season' excuse either. Of course it is, if it got worse than last season then we would only occupy one of three places this season. The fact of the matter is that last season is dead and buried. The team that took us to that position have long since departed our shores and this was not a team that was put together to take a mid table finish and cries of 'great improvement' was it? This was a team that was invested in heavily this season and a side that both the chairman and the manager told us was heading for promotion. And why shouldn't we believe that. Sorry, although it is an improvement on last season - the play offs is the very minimum that the investment needs rewarding with. Sue we haven't forked out anything in transfer fees (yet?) but when we have needed players the board have sanctioned the getting in of them. Let's not live in the past - we buried last season on May 3rd 2003, let's leave it there and judge what is happening this season on what has actually happened this season and not before?

So far we seem to have had two convenient excuses for our mid table position at the moment - and to be fair that is exactly what it is. We are as close to relegation as we are to promotion - you can't get much more mid table than that? The FA Cup run gave us the media exposure that we needed and also a much needed cash boost. Defeat yesterday did cost us in the region of £0.5 million plus but thats history now and we have to move on.

We have to get behind the team but if results continue the way they are then the numbers through the gates will inevitably start to drop. We will head back to the hard core following that we have. Two wins this week (Boston and Kidderminster) could see us back there looking for a play off place - two defeats and, I hate to say it, but the season will be as good as over.

We need in excess of 70 points I feel to claim a play off place - 10 more wins is the target that we have to be setting. But to get there, it will take a massive upturn in form - all we can hope is that the team, formation and tactics employed over the next 18 games are good enough to get those 10 wins - I hope so, but forgive me at the moment I just can't see it.

I enjoyed the FA Cup run as much as the next man but the excuses used this season have now run out

1. Bad run of injuries

2. Distraction of FA Cup Run

3. Look where we were last season

The players and management now have to prove that they are capable of getting this team performing again. We have nothing to detract from the league matches now (unless you want to throw in the FAW Cup as an excuse) - make or break time?

Why not check out the latest Vetch Verdict on the BBC site?