THERE can be no surprise at the result at Dover on Saturday.

Wishing to survive in the Conference the home team have one major strategy. Quite simply it is “no one beats us at home”. They have conceded seven goals in home games and scored just nine. There was no way the game was going to be a goal fest.

Playing with a team most of us would have chosen with many good players on the bench there were many reasons for optimism but satisfaction with a point is what we must settle for.

I find it difficult to settle with the inconsistency of our team. To use a musical metaphor sometimes we get an entertaining exhilarating Elvis Presley performance at other times we are treated to displays that remind me of the listless melancholy of Leonard Cohen.

This is no reason to despair however. We lose few matches and are very well placed. With the exception of Barnet no one is running away with the league. The play-offs are very much within our grasp.

The end of November is a good time to look back and forward both at the performance of the team and the manager. First of all Ady. He had high hopes for Rovers and undoubtedly wears his Forest Green heart on his sleeve. His post-match press conferences are totally free of clap-trap. He tells it as it is.

There are reasons but never excuses for a poor performance. Like all of us he is upset when we lose, but he never loses sight of the situation. He is a thoroughly pleasant man and all the media men want Rovers to do well for his sake.

What of his personal performance however? Is he the answer to our hopes, the man to take us to the Promised Land? First of all let us look at the way we play. This has not changed since he arrived. The system is a basic 4-4-2 with the wide men in the central four encouraged to go forward. He likes width and for Rovers to use the whole pitch when attacking.

Do his players fit that system? I certainly think so. Think of the speedy James Norwood on the right and Marcus Kelly or Elliott Frear on the left. All can bring an exciting dimension to our play. Elliott has been below-par lately but his day will come.

Ady likes to balance experience and speed in attack. We certainly have the former in Hughes, Parkin and Rodgers. They have been there, done it, bought the tee shirt and read the book but how many good days do they have left? Certainly they all need a pacy partner and how good it is to see the emergence of Kurtis Guthrie.

He is undoubtedly one for the future and with Rob Sinclair, ‘Wedge’ and Clovis show our manager can pick up transfer diamonds. We are well placed with defenders but must accept recent defensive mistakes.

Against Eastleigh loose defending allowed a cross to come in. Worse was to follow. No one attacked the high ball and a goal resulted I am still angry. Lincoln rely almost exclusively on long throws and set pieces. Their first long throw brought a goal, our defending being indecisive in the extreme. These mistakes cost us!

Happily the rash of sendings off and penalties has been dealt with. Eddie has sailed close to the wind a few times, but not as yet with any disastrous results. For 89 minutes I am full of praise for Eddie but for one minute each game he turns my hair grey, there being one dreadful aberration.

The fact that skipper Pipe is on the bench show the quality of our defenders but also his personal character. He has stated in his notes he has had a chat with the manager, understands the situation and is facing up to it. Good for him – not playing but still leading by example.

What does the team need to take it forward? This is something we all agree on. It is one extra pacy forward. These are very hard to find. I am not sure Christian Jolley is the answer, despite a good half hour at Torquay. Many names have been mentioned and adding to the list is pointless, though someone with youth on their side would be preferable to anyone with their best days behind them.

Dartford are here on Saturday. Before that I hope the manager does not ask the players in until Wednesday. There have been many stamina games lately. A long weekend then three sharp training days before Saturday’s game may be the way forward. Both team 7/10 and manager 8/10 can reflect on their season’s marks so far. Reflection and a rest will harm no one.