Ben Clasper's notes from the Haringey FA Cup Game

After a promising start with our opening fixtures both home and away things have stalled on the pitch and my predictions that we would have bad days at the office and days the footballing gods abandoned us came true sooner that I had hoped. Coming into the season we knew we’d be looking at an overhaul of the squad and we were happy with the recruitment but I have to admit to being nervous about how long it might take for things to gel on the pitch especially against settled sides with more momentum coming into the season than us.

We have what it takes to win. In the dugout and on the pitch the talent and the will is there and that’s why if I was not convinced we’d hit the ground running I am convinced we will come good. We’ve played well organised, quick teams and goals have been flying in at both ends. We’ve had some difficult refereeing decisions that turned games against us and hopefully those will even themselves up during the season but that’s not an excuse for the results, despite those decisions the games were still in our hands and we didn’t do enough.

Today brings an earlier break from the league than we have been used to as we enter the FA Cup in the 1st qualifying round and have been drawn against Haringey Borough who will also be looking for an opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing start to their league campaign. Both clubs need a boost and the need to win is a far more powerful factor than people might think so expect a competitive match. Our track record in the cups has been uninspiring in recent years but we have performed better against teams at our level than those below so I hope that continues and I hope we can return to winning ways and repay your wonderful support.