Another Saturday, another challenge and the chance to achieve a rare double when Bath City are the visitors to the Dave Bryant stadium.

Our smash-and-grab 1-0 win back in September seems a long way off and now of course Bath have a new manager in place, with Darren Way appointed just before Christmas

The effect has been immediate with Bath winning three of their last four games during which time they have conceded just once – at Dorking last time out.

With Weymouth to come next weekend and four of the next six games against sides in the bottom half of the table, you get the feeling that this is a pivotal period in terms of picking up points.

“I’m not just saying this but the boys are upbeat with smiles on their faces” said Gavin Macpherson despite last Saturday’s chastening setback in Kent. “Everyone believes we can get a result. We sat in Maidstone’s dressing room till gone 7 o’clock last week but it was not in self-pity.  We got straight back on the horse and went to work. That’s the only way I know.”

Gavin concedes that the upcoming fixture list will put the squeeze on a lot of teams in terms of grinding out results.

“When you look at our next few games, the majority are teams that in the bottom half or mid-table and I get that. On paper maybe they are more achievable than, say, Maidstone away. But the flipside is that the league is tough throughout. Bath, for instance, are in good form with a new manager and are pushing teams very hard.”

“But I’ll tell you this. If I didn’t think the boys were 100 percent with me, I’d call it a day for both personal and professional reasons. But we’re going to give this a right crack, trust me. Not just tomorrow but going forward.”

AW