It’s make or break time in our season

I SPOKE last week about the importance of the Lincoln game, about how we required a result after losing to Plymouth last Tuesday.

When they nodded in for their second, I couldn’t quite believe that we’d played so well against the top team in the division and then gifted them all three points.

I would have been so disappointed to lose in such a fashion, and even harder to try and get the lads up again for another tough game at Doncaster.

Up steps Dion Charles to spare a Mark Hughes’ blush, and didn’t he take that equaliser well?

It came up to waist height after his first touch and you think the chance has gone, but to hit his shot so sweetly under that pressure shows us two things, how well he is playing at the minute, and how well he thinks he is playing at the minute.

His form is good right now and his finishing is the best that we’ve seen since he arrived.

It’s head and shoulders above any level he’s been at in fact.

He mentioned a Northern Irish call up last week in an interview with the club, I don’t think he’s quite George Best yet, and needs to concentrate on himself getting better for Stanley before the dreamy heights of international football come knocking.

I still think he tries to do too much at times and is easily readable by defenders, but he’ll only get better from here on in.

But more power to him, keep it up.

David Morgan came on for a brief cameo on Sunday but impressed me with what he did on the ball.

If Smyth had looked up he may have scored with his first touch in League football but I guess an assist will have to do for him on debut.

It was a brave ball, executed to perfection into the feet of Charles, splitting their defence in half, let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come from the midfield man who will be keen to impress coming up from non-league.

Smyth wasted a couple of good chances after some great work on the ball, it’s those moments where we need to make sure we’re making the right decisions in front of goal and he didn’t on Sunday.

The next month is going to be tough, we’ve been faced with a hectic schedule against some really good teams and it’s only set to get worse from here.

The shape has now had a tinker as well which means at full strength we can apply two different formations and know that they can work well and effect games in a positive way for us.

I think now more than ever we may see the season be made or break in front of us.

With the double weeks we will easily see teams pull away unless we are continually winning matches and keeping up with the pace of the top sides.

Couple that with the fact we have to play them all again as well, and it really is heating up in the league.

You wouldn’t want it any other way though, would you?

The game against Doncaster being moved to Wednesday means I am forced to write this before the game. Whatever the result has been, this weekend’s fixture gives us an opportunity to try and keep ourselves in the mix going forward against a hectic schedule against a struggling

Shrewsbury side.

Let’s hope we can show our class and the league table is reading beautifully by the time you’re watching Casualty with a glass of warm milk.

REDS boss John Coleman has told his players to keep the faith during a difficult run of results.

The Reds have been playing well but have won just one of their last five games as their push for the top has stuttered.

“It’s nice to see people rewarded for their effort and good play and we just haven’t had those rewards at the moment, hopefully they are not too far off coming to fruition,” said Coleman.

“Football takes twists and turns, you get into ruts and you get onto great runs but you do need luck.

“I look back to that unbelievable winning run (in 2018), similar to what Oxford are on at the moment, and you just believe and know you are going to win.

“You do get luck along the way - a penalty, a disallowed goal against you, just little things.

“At this moment they are not happening for us, they are happening against us, penalties, sendings off, and non-sendings off and non-penalties.

“I think it shows great character of the lads who are playing through that, they are not getting the reward for what their efforts are producing and still having the enthusiasm and the passion to keep going and keep believing.

“We have got to keep believing that the way we are playing is going to be enough.”