TALKING POINTS

Chris Wade – @tufcchris

Chris discusses the key points

FORWARD MOMENTUM

Wow. What a week it has been. 10 goals, 6 points and lots of entertainment have left us all feeling positive and enthused for the next game. That comes along this Saturday with a visit to Essex to face Chelmsford City. They are not an opponent that we have had much luck against in recent times, so the opportunity for a fifth consecutive win is one for everybody to focus on. And Paul Wotton’s free scoring Yellows will certainly want more of the same.

DENNIS AGAIN OLE OLE

The performances and form of Louis Dennis is a sight to behold. It’s not just the seven goals in his last four games, but his all round play and influence on the team. Whilst Paul has publicly said on more than one occasion that he doesn’t see Dennis as a number 9, he has shown that he is more than capable of fulfilling that role. Scoring all types of goals as a forward is important to being a complete player, and his finishes in recent games, including the coolest finish you are likely to see to beat Worthing on Tuesday, have shown that he can play anywhere across the forward line. His influence on this team cannot be overestimated, and you can see his experience coming through in lots of on pitch conversations and coaching. Keeping him fit looks key to continued success.

DEPLETED SQUAD

Whilst it feels like we are talking about this a lot in these pages and in Gull’s Eye View, it’s such a key topic at present. For reasons that we all know about, we are short on numbers, and this makes the performances of this squad something to be proud of even more. With Dylan Morgan and Dan Hayfield limping out of Tuesday’s win, they must be doubts for Saturday. Paul is hopeful of having another loan incoming over the line for the weekend, and that should give us enough for this weekend. With only one game after Saturday until 20 December, that should give us time to rest, recover and incorporate everybody back into the squad in the coming weeks.

20 GAMES IN

Saturday sees us reach the 20 game mark and not far from half way. 12 points from the last 4 games have seen us tracking not far form the magic 2 points per game mark that everybody aspires too. 3 more points at Chelmsford would see us reach 39 points from those 20 games, and that would be just fine. Heading into Saturday, we are also now the top goalscorers in the division again with 40, which is another sign of how we have kicked on in recent weeks, with 15 coming in those last 4 games. Three points in this fixture feel key to keep the momentum going into Christmas. This weekend also feels big, with leaders Hornchurch heading to Worthing, and 4^th place Horsham hosting Weston-super-mare. There is ground to be made this weekend.

THE OPPOSITION

Chelmsford go into the weekend’s fixture on the type of curious run that epitomises this league. Four impressive wins on the spin, including beating the previously unbeaten Hornchurch, have been followed by successive defeats at lowly Salisbury and play-off rivals Hemel Hempstead. They will want to feel the benefits of home comforts again, and with some big name players including Lyle Taylor and ex Gull Tom Lapslie in their ranks, this will be a tough encounter. But if we take the confidence and attacking verve that we have shown this week in particular forward into this game, that fifth win in a row could be a distinct possibility.