AT about twenty past four on Saturday afternoon, that sinking feeling was starting to run through my body like it has so often this season. Stood beside a muddy field in the middle of nowhere, we were once again looking a gift horse in the mouth.

The visitors were down to ten men following the dismissal of ex-Darlo man Joe Clarke. We had a full half to make that advantage count and yet there we were again. It felt like Leamington, nicknamed the Brakes in a nod to the club’s historical links as a factory team for a brake manufacturer, had brought us to a shuddering halt in our bid to pick up the much-needed three points most of us fans had demanded before the game.

Despite having been handed the lead through Stephen Thompson’s early penalty, all the recent flaws in our game came flooding back. Leamington spent large spells of the first half on top. Darlo heads were lost. Aimless clearances led to Reece Styche, Thompson and Greg Mills covering far too much Warwickshire countryside in vain trying to retain possession. The equaliser was inevitable. Leamington’s second goal was less inevitable although fair play to the goalscorer rising majestically like a salmon to head home at the back post. Normally, I would get frustrated at how easily he converted to put the home side ahead but instead, I just slumped over the barrier in front of me and thought “typical Darlo”.

As it was that goal from Leamington’s Jack Edwards, who incidentally has probably been removed from Gary Brown’s Christmas card list, could possibly be our most important goal of the season. Within seconds of the goal, Tommy Wright made two crucial substitutions which swung the game back in our favour. Phil Turnbull was a no-brainer. We were going to have plenty of possession in the last 30 minutes so we needed a passer. James Caton was a less obvious choice. I guess most would have opted for Josh Gillies. For me, Caton was Tommy Wright’s Hail Mary pass. At some point, the winger-cum-self-proclaimed striker had to pay off for the Darlo gaffer. Wright has been very protective of Caton despite criticism of him from the terraces – well, paving slabs – and he probably felt like the ex-Blackpool man owed him a performance. He did not disappoint.

With the home defence starting to look a little jaded, we turned back the clock to previous seasons and we turned the screw. In the wider positions, it became apparent that Luke Trotman, Thompson and Caton had the beating of their men. Meanwhile, with Dave Syers, playing almost as a second striker alongside Styche, we had targets to hit in the centre. In previous seasons, goals would have come sooner than they did but one thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the source of the goals. There isn’t another player who consistently steps up to the plate like Stephen Thompson. Released from his ridiculous left wingback role, he was free to cause chaos at the right end of the pitch and he did just that. It was fantastic to watch.

Every now and then, there’s a game where once over, you come away feeling a little flush. You wonder if what you saw really happened. I’m thinking the Burnley game at the Riverside. Salford away when we won 4-3. That’s how I felt at 5pm on Saturday. It was swiftly followed by an overwhelming sense of relief. We had to win on Saturday and we only went and did it. We’re three games unbeaten now and with a win under our belts, we actually have something we can build on. Hopefully, we can take the confidence from the victory, kick on and pull ourselves away from the relegation zone.