BEING successful on your home ground is vital for any team intent on doing well.

Winning fixtures at headquarters provides a solid foundation on which to build a good campaign and eases the pressure on needing points from away games.

It also ensures a steady stream of supporters through the gates, which in turn generates crucial funds.

Without the element of home success, confidence can become eroded and fans start to get agitated.

Although some teams play better on their travels, citing less pressure away from the glare of criticism from the stands, there’s no substitute for winning on your own patch.

The phrase ‘let’s make this place a fortress’ is desperately overused in football circles but it’s implication should not be underestimated.

Just look at Worcester City’s record at St George’s Lane since the formation of Conference North and South in 2004. Year by year, it is almost in direct correlation with where they have finished up in the table.

It might sound obvious, but it is worth pointing out as it’s one of the key reasons City have struggled in recent campaigns. You have to go back to 2007/08 for the last time Worcester recorded more wins than defeats at the Lane and that season they finished 12th in Conference North.

The year before, during Andy Preece’s only full season in charge, City were beaten just four times on home soil, winning on nine occasions, and ended up ninth.

In the two seasons prior to that they finished eighth and seventh, securing more home wins than losses each time.

Since 2007/08 it has been a different story. Of course, there are many mitigating factors — chiefly financial — but it doesn’t change the fact that City have had average-to-poor campaigns when they have struggled at home.

Briefly, it was just four wins in 2008/09 and seven in each of the last two. Baring in mind there are normally 21 home games a season — it was one less last term following the collapse of Ilkeston — that’s not a great return.

The situation has been compounded in recent times by fewer draws, something City have been able to fall back on in the past.

Things, though, appear to be improving this time around and, heading into the FA Cup break, Carl Heeley’s team have already won three times in Blue Square Bet North at the Lane, as well as drawing twice and losing only once. It is worth noting that it took them until New Year’s Day last season to reach the same number of home league victories and is just one less than in the whole of their first year in Conference South.

Seeing off Bishop’s Stortford 2-1 and Solihull Moors 3-0, with Mike Symons scoring in both alongside goals for Kevin O’Connor, Matt Birley and Simon Brown, also secured back-to-back Lane wins for the first time since February.

That lifted them to seventh in the table and is laying the foundations for what they hope will be a more successful campaign than the last. A few more home wins and who knows what might be possible?