Wrong mindset was our undoing against Lincoln

IT'S been a mixed week but I'll start with Saturday and the draw against Lincoln that, in truth, felt like a defeat.

Being 2-0 up at half-time against a bottom side, I think everyone expected us to go on and win by four or five.

It seemed the game was safe but maybe that mindset was our undoing.

Credit to them, they looked a different team but whether that was down to Lincoln or us switching off, I don't know.

It didn't help going down to ten men, we completely lost our shape after that.

And although they got their equaliser in the 96th minute – goodness knows where that much added time came from – it had been coming for a while.

So to bounce back in the style we did at Stafford on Tuesday was pleasing.

A couple of our old players – keeper Lee Evans and Craig Holland – are at Stafford and they said it was a full-strength team they put out, minus one or two players. Stafford have surprised a few people in the Conference North and are holding their own in mid-table so it shows what a good result and performance the win was for us.

The cups aren't our priority but I think the final is at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium which would be great and you always want to win things.

The league is the priority, though, and we host Leek on Saturday looking for a big three points after last weekend's disappointment.

Even though they are ninth or tenth in the league it's so tight that they will think a win on Saturday and a decent run will put them in with a shout of promotion.

I'd like to round off with a few kind words for the fans – it was the biggest crowd we've had in ages on Saturday.

And if you look at the attendance figures across our league we are well ahead.

It was amazing how many travelled to Stafford in midweek as well – the lads commented on it and we do really appreciate it.

Sometimes our home crowd can be a bit quiet but the fans at Stafford almost made it like a home game, they were really vocal.

I'd gone off and was in the shower when the last goal went in – I thought Stafford had scored the roar was that loud!

A vocal crowd really does make a difference to the players so keep shouting your hearts out for the Scholars.