I COULDN’T believe it when I found Aldershot would not be offering any kind of refund for our game which was abandoned there because of a floodlight failure on Boxing Day.

I had five members of my family there and luckily I was able to get them complimentarty tickets.

But if I’d paid to go to the game with my son and paid out for our tickets, food, drink, petrol and a programme I would be extremely annoyed to be told I would be given just 50 per cent off a ticket for the rearranged game.

Aldershot have admitted they knew there was a problem with the floodlights before the game even started.

And if I was a fan who had paid to go I would take Aldershot to the small claims court and demand a full refund because it’s a real kick in the teeth for the man in the street who spends his time travelling up and down the country watching League Two football.

I’m sure our fans will come and support us in the rearranged game but that means even more of their money being spent and I just think it’s all completely wrong.

The lights did manage to stay on for the two matches we’ve had since the Aldershot abandanment.

But the performances were mixed.

At AFC Wimbledon we played very well, apart from the opening 20 minutes.

I missed a penalty and went 1-0 down but when they went down to 10 men we used and passed the ball well.

We got some good balls into the box and ended up getting a comfortable win from what could have been a very tricky game.

However, against Dagenham just two days later we dropped our standards and didn’t play at all well.

Michael Timlin scored a very, very good goal but that was the only real highlight of the day.

We were second best all afternoon and I think you could tell Dagenham were fresher than us having had an extra day to recover from their previous match.

After that disappointment, we want to bounce back against Port Vale this weekend in what is an extremely important game for us.

I think we’re the only team playing in the top seven because it’s also the third round of the FA Cup and it’s a chance for us to go up to second in the table.

A victory would also push us further away from the teams just below us, and they’re really starting to put pressure on us.

It would be nice to improve our home form too because we haven’t made Roots Hall the fortress it should be in the last few weeks, But you need to win 24 or 25 games to make sure of a promotion and we’re not too fussed if they come at home or on the road.

WELCOME ABOARD ELLIOT

THE game against Dagenham saw Elliot Benyon make his debut and I’d like to welcome him into the football club.

I’ve personally felt that we’ve needed another striker for a little while now to ease the work-load and I’m looking forward to working with him.

He had a great record when he was at Torquay and he seems a good lad too, so he’s a very welcome addition and hopefully he can do well for us.

Moving in the other direction is Luke Daniels, who has now gone back to West Brom after his loan spell here ended.

Luke did very well but I think we’re lucky to have someone like Glenn Morris to come in between the sticks.

For me he’s one of the best keepers in League Two and one of the most talented I’ve ever worked with in my career.

I also hope that Tims (Michael Timlin) will also still here on Saturday and that a permanent transfer can be soon sorted out because I think he’s been first class.

He’s a warrior in the midfield, he brings energy to the team and has also scored three fantastic goals while on loan, so I hope he stays because he’s a very important part of our team.