WELL, on Saturday at Redditch we were completely outplayed in the first 45 minutes by a very committed side who raised their game for their new manager.

They deservedly took the lead in the first half and really should have gone in at the break leading by two clear goals. Shane Andrews made a world class goal line clearance to prevent this from happening and then, less than two minutes later, on the stroke of half-time James Bent scored the first of two superb goals that got us back into the game. We went in at half-time with our tails up, we knew that we should have been losing but we weren't. In the second half we raised our game by 50 per cent, our fitness was very impressive and we eventually had Redditch on their knees and surrendering.

Fitness is a big part of the game at Chippenham Town and one that really has almost gone unnoticed over the past few seasons. It is no good having all the best players in the area if they aren't fit. Football is about 90 per cent passion, work rate and organisation and 10 per cent skill.

I know we would all like to play the game prettily and pass the ball about for hours before scoring a wonderful goal but in the real world it just isn't like that. The players at Chippenham are no different to footballers all around the country, they hate running in training and they only really like to train on things they know they are already very good at.

Nobby (Bush) is responsible for making them do the things they dislike. And my lord, they really do moan about it. He has my 100 per cent backing in all the hard work he makes them do and without this hard work we would be still in the Screwfix and probably in the bottom half.

On Monday night I went to watch Bristol City Reserves v Bath City in the Somerset Premier Cup. Bath were deserved 1-0 winners and could and perhaps should have won far more easily.

Bristol City really were very poor, in fact almost embarrassing. For some of these players to call themselves professional footballers is a joke. A couple of their players wouldn't get a game in the Screwfix First Division. Their passing was terrible and some of them looked as though they just couldn't be bothered. It amazed me afterwards to see some of them smiling and joking as they walked off the pitch and indeed their manager Shaun Taylor, who I admired as a wonderful centre half, also looked as though he didn't really care about the result. I think it's a disgrace; those players don't realise how lucky they are. Some of my players, such as Nathan Rudge, Steve Tweddle, would give their right arm to be professional players as I would to be a professional manager. These people have these positions but don't seem to appreciate it and certainly don't appear to be working hard at it. Perhaps that's why they are only in the reserves.

One of our former players Charlie Griffin appears to be on the slide. We sold him to Swindon in a blaze of publicity two years ago. Charlie was a wonderful prospect who again appeared to want to be a footballer more than anything in the world. Twelve months later he agreed to be sold by Swindon to non-league Woking. After another 12 months he has asked for another move and has gone on loan to Havant and Waterlooville who are only one league above us. I have tried to contact Charlie to offer him some advice but his number has changed. I hope he can sort himself out very soon.

Come on you Blues.