AFTER a couple of excellent away wins Saturday’s game at Blackwell Meadows against Nuneaton Town felt like a great opportunity for another three points but in the end we had to settle for a pretty subdued nil-nil bore draw.

Regardless of how improbable it felt we still had a mathematical chance of making the playoffs, but those hopes were finally put to bed with our inability to break down our visitors in a game that was more notable for the glorious weather it was played in.

It made such a change heading down to the ground in glorious sunshine rather than the snow and the rain that has been so prevalent in recent months. It was good to see the warm weather add a couple of hundred extra fans to the gate compared to recent games.

As is usually the case towards the end of each season, our little group of supporters, the Darlo Tykes, partook in the hospitality offered up by Jo Cameron and her team upstairs in the clubhouse. The room was jam-packed with diners beforehand and the balcony during the game was full of joviality. If you have yet to experience the offerings of the hospitality packages, I can highly recommend them. They are good value and really add to the matchday experience. The chance to chat to some of the players and Tommy Wright after the game didn’t go amiss either.

As for the game, it felt like we needed to take advantage of the chances we had in the first half. In recent games, possibly down to fatigue and players carrying injuries, it’s felt like we’ve been much stronger in the first half of games as opposed to the second despite the winning goals being scored in the second period of the last two games. With the players running on fumes we needed to get the job done early, but we couldn’t break down what was a pretty average-looking Nuneaton side. With the first half having come and gone, the second simply didn’t get going. Early on in the second half it looked like the game was destined for a draw and that’s how it ended.

The positive thing about Saturday’s performance was that once again there weren’t any poor performances. After the disappointing game against Boston United a couple of weeks ago the players have picked up their form and we have put in three performances that lifted the spirits and provide some extra hope for next season. Even on Saturday, while there weren’t many outstanding performances nobody let their team-mates down. That’s such a marked difference to the first half of the season where we would have two or three players having an off game almost every game which would really hurt our prospects in that particular game.

With two games left before the end of the season we have a couple of contrasting fixtures to end the season. Wednesday’s game with Southport will see us face a team who have been on a bit of a rollercoaster. They looked good for a playoff challenge a couple of months ago but their form has blown up recently. Having lost seven on the bounce and not scored in their last five we must surely fancy our chances of the win.

Meanwhile, our game on Saturday at Stockport County will no doubt have a carnival atmosphere with plenty of Darlo fans heading over to Edgley Park while the home side will be looking forward to the playoffs. I’m keeping everything crossed hoping our players can summon up two more good performances so we can finish the season strongly. It would be great if we could secure a top-half finish.