DESPITE a much-improved performance against Crewe last Saturday, Town’s poor league form continues to gather pace.

In the last 12 games in all competitions, Town have only managed to pick up two wins, a record that has taken the club just six points away from 12th place.

Remarkably, we’re still only five points from the pla-off places, but after Saturday there seemed to be a split in opinion with fans on how the season has so far turned out.

With expectations quite low at the start of the season, some fans would argue that sitting in seventh place in the league, enjoying a great style of football, with a good squad of players is beyond what was expected.

On the other side, many are frustrated that, with the squad of players at his disposal, manager Mark Cooper doesn’t have this team in the play-offs and that his style of football has become stale in recent weeks.

Although I agree with most of the points from the first argument, I’m slightly swaying more towards the latter.

Overall, Cooper has done a decent job in his first full season as a Football League manager, but even with the current injury list, we should have enjoyed a much better start to 2014.

Recent home performances against Oldham, Colchester and Crawley have been hard to watch, with Town looking void of ideas going forward and lacking any creativity.

Hopefully playing against better opposition in the upcoming weeks will help the player’s raise the level of their performance, if not, this season is heading towards an ugly end.

On Monday, Nile Ranger was found not guilty of rape, after months of allegations hanging over his head.

Unfortunately Ranger will not be part of the club’s effort to earn a play-off place this season due to injury, but that gives the striker six months to get himself fit and mentally ready for next season.

I sincerely hope that over the summer he repays the loyalty shown to him by the club and the fans, and signs on for next season.

After a long, hard season, our play-off hopes now all rest on our next two games, on Saturday against Milton Keynes and Wolverhampton Wanderers next Tuesday – both at the County Ground.

Out of the remaining 12 league games, we face six sides all battling for promotion, with Preston and Sheffield United following later this month.

Milton Keynes currently sit just a point behind Town in League One, Karl Robinson’s side enjoying a fairly successful February picking up 10 points, which pushed them back into contention.

Despite a shaky start to life in League One, Kenny Jackett’s Wolves have recently bulldozed through any side standing in their way of promotion.