Yesterday's trip to play Thurrock Academy was a pleasure in many ways. The opposition were friendly and welcoming, the weather was glorious, and it was nice to be in their new clubhouse afterwards rather than the old Portakabin of previous years.

The best part of all was the way we played. With only a bare eleven men against their 15, we were bottom of the table facing the joint leaders who had won their last five games on the trot. Despite the apparently overwhelming odds, we clearly edged it in the first half in terms of territory, possession and pressure, and only let them overtake us in the final quarter when tiredness started to slow us down. We looked dangerous for much of the match and were unlucky not to get a better result.

The game will be recorded as another loss (2-1) but for me it marked the turning point of the season. Thurrock said we were the strongest opponents they have played. It was a remarkable performance and I see no reason why we shouldn't start to get some wins going forward. Especially this week - playing Redbridge, having only lost very narrowly to them at the beginning of the season. This looks like a great opportunity to me!