IT had been a while since we really thumped a team. In fact, it was in the opening fortnight of the season when we gave Alfreton a good hiding so it was fantastic to see us open up and give North Ferriby a thorough 6-0 beating.

With the East Yorkshire side having picked up in form recently – well, relative to their form all season – there was a nagging thought in the back of my mind that they could prove to be a banana skin, but from the moment Dave Syers tapped in there was never any real doubt we would secure the win.

Prior to the game there was a lot to be buoyed about. For a start, the game actually went ahead. With pictures on Friday showing a fair amount of water standing on the pitch in front of the Tin Shed even the most optimistic fan would have had some doubt about the game going ahead. Try telling that to groundsman Matthew Teasdale and a pitch that is remarkably resilient to inclement weather. Was it really in doubt? The pitch even dealt with the constant barrage of snow flurries both before and during the game although by full time it looked like it had been in a real battle.

Despite the heavy conditions, we actually played some good football. Other managers might have used the conditions as an excuse to play a more direct game, but we continued to play the ball around with little concern about the pitch, even in the middle which was rapidly degenerating into a mudbath. It was refreshing to see. As the first half went on and it became more noticeable that North Ferriby weren’t going to cause too many problems you could see our players gain in confidence gaining freedom to express themselves. With that, the goals flowed.

Prior to this game we’d seen two subdued performances against Curzon Ashton and Tamworth so it was great to see us play with more energy. For me, a big reason for that was the return of Joe Wheatley in to the centre of midfield alongside Phil Turnbull. There’s been a lot of speculation about Wheatley’s future but he seemed to put that aside and put in a really positive performance adding the drive from the centre of the pitch that was lacking in the previous two games. I’ve been a big fan of Wheatley since I first saw him in pre-season and I’d love to think we can resolve his future with the club so we can watch his further development next season. He can definitely play at a higher level than this but I think more than anything at the moment he needs more games. If he were to leave in the summer and become a bit-part player elsewhere, it would probably stop him from achieving his full potential.

Two players with new contracts, Stephen Thompson and Josh Heaton, continued to show why those contracts were well deserved. Against North Ferriby, Thompson was brilliant yet again and Heaton was a rock at the back. Heaton in particular played like a guy who knew people were there to watch him. He didn’t disappoint. Meanwhile, it was great to see Josh Gillies get the goals his performance deserved. Having been one of our better performers at Tamworth last Tuesday night, he picked up where he left off and showed us what an in-form Gillies can do. I’d love to see more of that between now and the end of the season.