WE decided to use a 3-4-3 formation for the FA Trophy match at Welling United.

It is something we have used a few times this season and we played it against Droylsden in November so it's not a new system.

It's a more positive way of trying to win games.

The formation was used partly because of the size of the Welling team and also to stop their full-backs playing direct balls up to the front and it worked.

They didn't hurt us in general play but we still couldn't stop them at set-pieces, which led to the 2-1 defeat.

We struggled because key defenders Chris Smith and Des Lyttle were out and we lacked a presence at set-pieces.

But the formation was mainly to stop their full-backs playing forward balls because we had enough problems with their forwards in the game as it was.

We had Mark Danks playing on the right and Adam Webster or Craig Wilding getting back on the sides to stop those balls.

If Tom Warmer had played instead of Webby then either Tom or Graham Ward would have been picking up one of Welling's big lads and it would have been harder.

Which formation to use depends on the opposition but it also needs to suit our players.

It depends how the opposition play as well as what players I have available.

If you win a game the system is right, if you lose the system is wrong but more often than not we have got it right this season.

The players make the system. If you perform it doesn't matter what system you use, eight or nine times out of 10 you will win.

We can now concentrate on the league. It starts at Scarborough on Saturday, which will be tough because they won at Harrogate last weekend and not many teams have done that this season.

I have said before that Scarborough are a better side than their league position would suggest because they have lost 10 points after going into administration.

I think they could be somewhere near the play-off positions if they had started on a level playing field.

They are proving a difficult side for teams to play against and, like us, they also seem to do well against the better teams as well.

Vauxhall Motors visit St George's Lane next Monday and we have struggled against them in recent times.

But if we can get good results from those two games it will give us the platform to go on for the rest of the month.

On paper, Monday is a great opportunity to get three points but every game is a chance to do that. But every game is very difficult and no-one gives you anything in this league.

However, we have put together a good squad of players who are capable of beating any team in any game.