WELL, the result matched excitement on Saturday afternoon with our 4-1 victory over Boston United. Before the game, I was bouncing and four goals later, the bounce was still there. Although Boston had made the play-offs in the last two seasons, this was a different Pilgrims side and once we got one up via Terry Galbraith’s penalty, there was only going to be one winner.

After two games in National League North, one thing that is immediately apparent is teams look more organised. As we move up the leagues, teams spend more time training and that shows in the way sides organise themselves. Players are more aware of what their role is. With that in mind, what really surprised me was how easily Boston capitulated.

You could see their heads drop as soon as we took the lead which surprised me somewhat. What we saw in the first 20 minutes or so of the second half is the type of period in play we had come to expect in divisions lower than this one. I’d be delighted if there are more Bostons than Altrinchams in this division although I can’t believe many teams will make it as easy for us as our guests from Lincolnshire did on Saturday.

In terms of performances, I was very impressed with Liam Hardy. He worked hard, ran the channels and looks a lot stronger than last season. His goal epitomised the extra running and work ethic that he displayed throughout his time on the pitch. Meanwhile, Phil Turnbull grew in influence as the game went on, pulling the strings as we started to move the ball around with more fluidity.

One huge positive was Mark Beck hitting the ground running. With Amar Purewal looking a little underwhelming playing as a target man at Altrincham, I think it’s fair to say we have stumbled upon a gem in former Carlisle, Yeovil and Wrexham man Beck. Big, decent on the ground and good in the air, I suspect he is going to be a significant addition to the squad, providing some protection and another dimension when playing alongside Nathan Cartman and Hardy. What’s more, with quality balls being thrown in to the box by the likes of Terry Galbraith and Josh Gillies, the big guy is going to get plenty of chances to fill his boots.

All in all, Saturday’s performance was solid. I’m not going to suggest for a second that it was classic Darlo, but that in itself is a positive. Against both Altrincham and the early exchanges against Boston, we looked a little nervy and appeared to be playing well within ourselves. To be frank, after two games, I don’t think we’ve got out of third gear yet. As fitness and team cohesion grow, I think there won’t be too many teams in this division looking forward to playing against us.

So, with six goals scored in our first two games, who’s looking forward to playing a team that have conceded ten goals in their first three games? In fairness to Curzon Ashton, they kept a clean sheet on Saturday in their 1-0 win at Alfreton although the home side will have been a bit miffed having hit the woodwork three times.

With a Darlo side that still looks like it has plenty of goals in it despite the step up in divisions and a Curzon Ashton team who look like they have the potential to concede, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t make the increasingly familiar trip over to Greater Manchester filled with confidence of yet another Darlo win.