Firstly, huge respect to Lower Breck, who came with all the humility of a Step 8 side and a Management Team with the class of a Premier League outfit. Top, top people who deserve everything they get from the game.

Our week started with 20 Darlo lads travelling to Redditch on the back of a tough Saturday defeat to play Southern League Premier Division Redditch United in a friendly, in vile January conditions. Fast forward five days and the lads got their rewards for that hard work - and it didn’t do Redditch any harm either. I said last week we’d collectively hit a wall against Congleton Town, so this week, rather than resting or feeling sorry for ourselves, we ran around it.

I’ve read Lower Breck’s thoughts on the game and maybe I’m a touch biased with my Darlo blinkers on, but I felt that in the second half we could - and probably should - have scored three or four. Maybe they could have too, but I’m not so sure. What I am sure about is that Lower Breck sit top of our division with some outstanding players, yet our Darlo squad, with an average age of just 21, matched them for large parts of the game with heart, desire, and a refusal to lose. We gained at least two points on seven of the bottom nine yesterday, so it was a positive day.

We go again on Tuesday night away at Stafford Rangers. I’m sure in some quarters it will be built up into something it most definitely is not. I’m old enough to remember and fully appreciate Stafford Rangers’ history and standing within the game. Only last week they were announcing American investment into the club, while we continue to build in our own way - relying on the loyalty, backing, and commitment of local people to keep us sustainable.

We’ll be ready to represent the club in the best way we can. Darlaston Town go to Stafford Rangers with zero pressure.

UTD

Dean