It shows how far we've come when we were disappointed with a point at Darlington.
Their manager, Dave Penney, said in his programme notes that without the club entering administration they would definitely have got promotion this season – and yet we're gutted at leaving with a point.
Whether he said that to appease the fans n
o-one will know but for a so-called 'smaller club' we're not too far away from seriously challenging the so called 'bigger clubs'.
At Darlington we had to show a response to our abject performance the week before against Luton and the gaffer got a workmanlike, dogged display out of us.
It was never going to be a classic on a terrible, bobbly pitch with a swirling wind but all that was missing on the day was a goal.
Our consolation prize was another clean sheet, our sixth in the last nine games, which shows how hard we have been to score against, let alone lose the game.
Seeing a club like Darlington in such dire financial straits, I believe, won't be that uncommon next season. I don't think clubs with smaller budgets in their respective leagues will suffer that greatly, it will be the bigger clubs who have stretched/gambled on being successful that will suffer.
Squads will be smaller and, in our league, clubs like Bradford and Shrewsbury will have to survive on squads of 25 players instead of 40. I'm sure our gaffer would love that though!!
Watching the first half of the Premier League game between Blackburn and Tottenham in the hotel at Darlington raised a discussion amongst the lads about the penalty decision that led to Tottenham's goal.
The overwhelming consensus was that the Blackburn defender cannot get his hand out the way of a ball that struck at his hand from less than five yards away.
That is simply not handball.
There are very little grey areas left in football but none of us were sure what the law is regarding handball.
I believe it should be clearly stated that if the ball hits a player's hand which is either far away (outstretched) from his body or over shoulder height then, fair enough, that can be handball because his hands shouldn't be in that position.
But to give handball when your hands are by your side is ludicrous.
Where does the referee want players closing the ball down to put their hands? Behind their back maybe.
Thankfully for Blackburn it didn't cost them the game and they got three vital points.
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