THE strength of any good football club is a good team on the pitch and the assembling of a good team off it.

Having been laid low by a knee operation and being instructed not to go out and about, Mick Tuohy and Graham Selby took over the reins at Cambridge City on Saturday.

I had no concerns or worries about planning, organisation or the preparation that has gone into it. Both of them are worthy of note, not just because we won the game.

Myself and the club are pleased that we have Mick and Graham on the staff. They can handle dressing room situations and can manage on match-days.

It was quite reassuring from my point of view on Friday lunchtime, having been told not to go.

They will want to get a good result for the club, the same as if I had been there, and they can feel pleased and proud of their contributions tow-ards getting the result.

Ultimately it is what the players do on the field that gets you the result, but it is another example of not all the good players in the football club are the ones you see on the pitch.

I had to follow the match by telephone, and it is not a method to recommend to people. You are trying to picture where the ball is, and it bears no resemblance as to what is actually happening.

I managed to make a call just as they blew the final whistle, and the result was very pleasing.

We knew it would be a difficult game against probably the best side we have played this year. They have one or two decent players, such as Adam Wilde, that we have looked at ourselves.

But the return of Paul Carty was a big bonus. He is a key figure in our set-up and he is relishing the weight on his shoulders.

In Martin Weir's absence Paul has captained the side. A few people may have been surprised by the decision but perhaps a little bit of reverse psychology has given him a bit more responsibility and maturity to go with his undoubted ability.

When I first came here he was playing at full-back. He was being stifled in that position and felt he could contribute more to the team in a central role.

That is where I used to play him at Nuneaton, and I agreed he could make a heavier and better contribution further up the field, and he has gone out and done it well.

Danny McDonnell also had a good game on Saturday. He has been disappointed with the amount of goals that have gone past him and quite rightly so.

I always thought playing against him that he was one of the best 'keepers in the league, and having got him in our ranks now, he has bedded down, has settled into the club and is thoroughly enjoying it.

Carl Tranter has probably suffered through lack of games, and certainly against Moor Green he was disappointed with his contribution. But he did well on Saturday and as with any striker, goals are the biggest confidence booster of all.

Last night's defeat at Bath was disappointing, but runs come to an end and good teams get up and start another one, and that's what we have to do.

It's Salisbury at home on Saturday, and having beaten Moor Green in our last home game, we have to try and make the ground a little bit more of a stronghold than it has been. We want to make it like it used to be, which was a place to be feared.