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Brilliant performance today - best league performance this season in my view. 

Glad people are recognising just how exceptionally Hulme played today - he is just different class, and I have been saying for some time he could play at league 1 level or above and be successful. He has curbed his temper but not his competitive edge and he holds the ball up and distributes as well as any striker we have ever had.

Simon Richman had a great game when he came on for willo - his injury is a real worry he has been our playmaker of late - and JJ's goals were excellent and will do his confidence the world of good.

Its fair enough to dismiss Southport as one dimensional, limited, not at the races etc - but don't under-estimate how good we were - we made them look poor because we played sublime, positive, aggressive football - the 10 minute spell in the first half started by Hancock's screamer was just a joy to watch - how we didn't score I don't know.

The attendance - 1519 - 175 in away end - was excellent as well. if we can get crowds that size when we are 17th in Conf North, it bodes well for when we hit a successful streak - the potential support is as high as it has been since the 1960s.

Only slight concern - to have 250 plus fans still queuing to get in the Golf Road at 3pm because we only had 2 gates turnstiles is pretty poor planning - we clearly need to work harder to get more volunteers to come forward.  This sort of thing stops floating supporters from coming back  -and we don't have the luxury of letting that happen

didn't get to Ashton due to not having use of car and lack of trains from Leeds but sounds like we won ugly and were pretty profligate.  But its still a vital 3 points and its crucial we build on this tomorrow and in the next few games.

This side at its best has already proven it has the beating of Southport - so I am going to be optimistic and go for -

Alty 3 Southport 1 - Hulme, Hancock, Jones - att - 1235

Then we kick on and get into the top half of the table early in the new year and stay there

Great draw should we get past Farsley in the replay - not a forgone conclusion at all.

Remember Brian Smikle scored an absolute belter against Gloucester in a night match in 13/14 season.  He came with an immaculate pedigree - 200 plus appearances in the league for Kiddy and Cheltenham - but he never quite got going at Alty and disappeared before the season was half way through. He is now playing Evesham United in the Southern League Div 1 South.

Ryan Crowther was pretty talented as well, but spent most of his time with us backing off from tackles and otherwise looking like he'd rather be anywhere else than playing footie for us.  I remember one match when he got the bollocking of his life from Lee Sinnott while he was still on the pitch as he didn't want to run down the left wing because he thought it looked icy! to be fair he has a point. Seem to remember he scored a worldy for us as well, but cannot remember who against, or if my memory is distorting the Barnsley near miss.  

Bill, great message from the club and, as per my message last night, the fans really were out of this world on Saturday

Pretty much everything about the set up at Portsmouth impressed me - the friendliness and generosity of spirit of the fans, the fact that everything was good value, the noise and atmosphere even when less than half full, the old school feel of the ground, set amongst rows of terraced houses where the back yards almost touched the stands, the boozers, the obvious deep love of the club and their city  - hand clapping to Portsmouth Harbour was a high point for me - the deep hatred of Southampton, and the general sense of the love of the game.

Probably the most positive away ground experience at a league club I have ever had - apart from the result.

Worst was for me indisputably Burnley 1982 - from being gobbed on, spat at and threatened in police escort all the way from the away fans coach park - felt like about 10 miles away - to the Nazi salutes and Doc Martin boots of their hundreds of skinhead followers packed up against the segregated fence, the United 'Red Army' lads along for the fight in our end who didn't give a damn about the game, to the result of course-  we lost 6 1 in a match that felt like the beginning of the end of an era - which is was of course.

37 years on, I really do believe we are at the beginning of a new era of major success, that's how good both the players and fans were.

Given the level of the opposition especially, I thought Jordan put in one of the best centre forward displays I have ever seen in 45 years of watching the Robins.  He was absolutely superb and gave their back 4 a torrid time throughout the whole match.  He should have had a penalty in the first half, and the fact that the left back risked a penalty to stop him in his tracks shows how much fear and respect they had for him, he went agonisingly close when he hit the post, and Kenny Overcoat himself said he was happy he was brought down for the 2nd half penalty because he was about to 'pull the trigger' and we have seen Jordan score plenty of goals in similar positions.

What made it the complete forward's performance for me though was his work rate - one time he lost possession and tracked back a good sixty yards to help us win the ball back - his skill and touch on the ball, his unselfish play - several cute little lay offs to other players and putting in the tackles l - and the fact that he got right under their defence's skin, annoyed the hell out of them, and lulled them into mistake after mistake.

Truly outstanding young man!  You7 just proved you could walk into any league one side and do a great job of work for them - that is how good you are Jordan.  You will have Conference North's defences on toast for the rest of the season if you keep playing like that. Fill your boots lad