I thought he may have been the first player from the Third Division to have been called up, but someone has told me that a Peterborough player, Mark Tyler, has already claimed that mantle. Another thing we'll have to endure ribbing on from our rivals following our 2-1 defeat at London Road.

That game was actually a very good one, although obviously it was disappointing to lose the game and that no doubt means that we will have to bear the brunt of their goading until we get the opportunity to put it right when they come to The Abbey in April. However, another way we can get our own back is to make sure that we stay above them in the Division Three table.

I did feel that we were on top in the second half though at London Road and it must say something when their goalkeeper is voted man of the match. It's just a bit disappointing, because you would have thought that with all of the chances we created we could have scored at least one goal. But we didn't and that is history because we now need to make sure that we improve our record at home.

It was good that we got the win against Barnet in our last game at The Abbey, but we can't rest on our laurels and I know that today's game against Darlington will be a tough one. They had a great result in midweek against Burnley in the FA Cup when they were 2-0 down with 10 minutes remaining but managed to win 3-2.

For us though, it is important that we keep picking up the points because I want to make sure that we stay in touch with the leaders. It would be nice to be top, but the main thing is just to make sure we stay in the race for promotion and are there when it really matters in April. It's no good being top at this stage and then falling away so that we have nothing to fight for come the latter stages of the season.

Basically, we are on target for my aims at the beginning of the season and I have been pleased with our progress so far. Of course I know that at some stage suspensions will start eating into our squad, which is small enough as it is, and if you get one or two injuries into the bargain then we might struggle a bit.

We've already had a few injuries this term and sadly both Neil Mustoe and Marc Joseph have both suffered set-backs with their injuries so are likely to be missing for another week or so. But on a brighter note Arjan Van Heusden is fit again after his hand injury although I think he still needs more physical sharpness. He won't be back today because I think Shaun Marshall has done very well deputising for Iceman and he deserves to keep his place.

Finally, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to everyone connected with Darlington for today's game and hope you enjoy the action.