15/11/01: WITH nearly a third of the season gone, the leagues are certainly beginning to take shape.

Certainly when you have played 10 games or more wherever you are in the league is usually a true reflection of how your season has gone.

Some teams bemoan the fact that the ball hasn't run for them or one or two bad decisions have gone against them, but again the counter argument would be that these things usually even out over a season.

It makes me laugh when I read a manager saying a certain referee has cost me my job, when the truth of the matter is they've probably won three or four games out of 30 and are bottom of the league.

The poor old referees seem to get the blame for most things these days. I don't think there is much doubt that standards have dropped, but players' standards have also dropped. Just recently the refs have come in for some flak from Taunton Town Russell Musker and a few others, but I've got to say, although it can be hard, we all have got to support the men in black.

Melksham Town did very well at Totton to put themselves into the last 64 of the FA Vase. Our near neighbours have been handed a home draw against St Neots, who I must confess I've never heard of and I doubt whether Robbie Lardner has either. But they have reached the last 64 of a national competition so they won't be any mugs.

Melksham have got the advantage of playing at home which is all you can ask for at this stage of the competition.

Salisbury City are still suffering at the bottom of the Dr Martens Premier Division. They have won one out of 16 games and are currently five points adrift at the bottom. Fair plays to the directors in keeping faith with the new manager Steve Richardson.

A lot of people would have panicked and sacked him. In saying that he will know himself that he and his side have got to improve or the bullet will be inevitable.

Bath City have steadily improved and currently stand eight places off the bottom. After their poor start to the season this is good progress and must give heart to the lad at Salisbury.

The Screwfix Direct League First Division is shaping up nicely into a good competitive league with six or seven sides handily placed to mount their challenge. Corsham are without doubt the in-form side at the moment and, after a dodgy start, have got stronger and stronger. Bath City Reserves are still top but there will come a time when injuries, suspensions and call-ups to the first team will take their toll.

In the Premier Division, Bideford took advantage of Taunton's day out in the Vase and are creeping ever closer. They had a good 4-2 home win over Paulton Rovers and are still currently unbeaten. The only other unbeaten side are Brislington, who went to the top with a good 2-1 victory at Backwell United.

Last Saturday saw us in a local derby against Westbury United. Both sides were without key players. We were without our strikers, Flippance and Price, and Westbury were without Pearce and Perkins.

I was a little concerned where our goals were going to come from, but we scored three very good goals through Curtis, Lloyd and Mooney. If I'm totally honest Westbury's absentees hit them harder than ours. The win moved us up to sixth spot and I never expected to be there after a very suspect start to the campaign.

Congratulations to Nigel Curtis who has been selected to play for the league against the Hellenic League. Nigel is a 100 per cent battler who is a players' player and certainly one of the first names on my team sheet every week.

Finally best wishes to Kenny Miles my good friend who is currently in Bath hospital. Ken has not enjoyed the best of health in recent years but is Devizes through and through. Formerly my assistant for four years, he now scouts and accesses teams for us. He's a top man and my regards to him.