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Kidderminster in hot form - can see it being a Chester v Kiddy final. We can resume our annual dire trip to Aggborough with a great consolation pie...

It'd be very Parkinson to quietly extend the loan in the background

Woking are a proper bogey team, arent they. But that said, we need to go there keep confidence high.

I've got to say, when the transition was announced in May I did envision us signing the likes of Nick Haughton, Danny Elliott, Sam Minihan, Matty Warburton, Kurt Willoughby, Elliot Newby and so on. Those tried and tested full-time footballers in the northwest that have historically been on the circuit at the likes of Chester, York, Halifax. I presumed our aim was to go full-time and start competing with these sorts of clubs for those sorts of players. Players that would improve us and provide stability in our inaugural season.

Regardless of whether we've competed for them and come up short, or simply not had the resources to do so - for me if we're going full-time and not able to attract that calibre of player to the club then the whole model and transition is a massive gamble. There are no two ways about that.

Now, I wasn't expecting a squad of Galacticos and I knew there would have to be an element of Moneyball to make this work, but there's only really Josh Lundstram, James Jones and Ross Barrows who have come in and provided reliable experience at this level or above? Look at what we've lost in the other direction and there's a huge vacuum of experience and leadership. Players like Moult, Hancock, Densmore, Thompson will not have been here on peanuts. Where has that money gone, when you look at this squad now?

We're weaker now than when we had a part-time squad, regardless of the spin that's put on it. The interview lauds the signing of Byrne which does look like a strong one, but we've replaced Densmore with a lad who had nothing to do but Alty TV commentary on Tuesday night. You could argue that we actually attracted better 'full-time' players when we were part-time when you look at the acquisitions of Alistair Smith, Joel Senior, Ryan Colclough, Kyle Ferguson, Dan Mooney, Matty Kosylo... So that draws into question whether our budget is actually worse off now we're having to account for full-time wages across a bigger squad and more backroom staff. It might be naïve of me to make that point.

I've still got faith in the full-time model as it stands, and still generally believe that it was a decision the club (not Parky, as some seem to believe he forced us into this?) had to make. This was not going to be an easy ride, going full-time is not a switch you flick to immediately progress and fly up the table, but I'd be lying if I said our start to the season hasn't introduced some serious doubt about it all. We've replaced Mooney, Hancock and Kosylo's injury with kids on loan and free agents who are probably here to get fit and f**k off.

I predicted 17th and I would be delighted with it based on what I've seen so far, and those who know me will know I'm the eternal optimist when it comes to anything about Alty. It's absolutely vital that we stay up this season and if we do, with this current squad, I think it'll be Phil & Neil's greatest achievement to date. All of the above said, there's still part of me that's expecting to win on Saturday and go on a 10 game unbeaten run. We've always been that sort of side and it really could just be confidence. I just don't know what to think at the moment.