LAST Saturday, Town put in their best performance of the season as they brushed aside promotion contenders Sheffield Utd with ease in one of the best footballing displays I’ve seen at the County Ground.

Ask almost any England fan what was the most iconic goal ever scored, most people would say Geoff Hurst sealing his hat- trick at Wembley in the 1966 World Cup final.

And that goal came from a long ball booted down the pitch by the late, great Sir Bobby Moore.

But when you come to the County Ground on a Saturday, you know before you’ve taken your seat that you won’t constantly be looking up at the sky to look for the ball.

When Mark Cooper was introduced as the club’s new manager, I wasn’t blown away by his appointment due to his lack of experience in the Football League.

Or the style of play he and the chairman were trying to introduce.

Whenever Wes Fodering-ham or one of the defenders passed out the ball from the back, you could feel the Town End tense up as the opposition swarmed around our players to pressure them into making a mistake.

Sometimes, we would lose the ball, or have to concede a throw-in because of our insistence on playing this way.

But on Saturday, against one of the best teams in the division, our style of football not only won the game, but also was a big victory for Cooper and the club’s persistence. They haven’t swayed from is their belief in how they think the game should be played.

Even between January and March, when we only won one game out of 12, they stuck firmly to their system. Both deserve huge credit for sticking to this ethos.

Of course, in future games, we’ll properly concede a corner, throw in or possibly a goal due to retaining the ball for too long. But when that does happen, just think back to Saturday.

I don’t think I was the only fan who has taken his time in adjusting to our new style, both on the pitch and off it, but at the weekend, I think the penny has finally dropped for many at the County Ground.

  • Follow me on Twitter @danwjonson

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