I'm delighted to have secured James Bittner on loan for a month from Salisbury City and it gives Chris Snoddy a well deserved break.

I know he has been talking about how well the players are treated here and it is great to hear.

I try and make sure every one of the boys are looked after, I know they work during the day and might not get a chance to have a hot meal before games.

We provide them with everything they might need for away trips - especially ones like Rugby on Tuesday.

We'll give them a hot food, they can have a banana and Lucozade so when they get out onto the pitch then they can have no excuses.

We even spoke to a nutritionist in pre-season but the lads are young enough and sensible enough to know what is good and bad for them, and that is why James fits in well within the group.

He is a good keeper, we are lucky to be able to get him and allow Snods to have a rest.

What it can also do is help Snods' development by watching an experienced keeper who has played in the league.

He'll have a rest for a couple of weeks because he's got a few little knocks he has to over come but for the meantime he can watch James and look at his attributes.

I have been in charge for ten months and he hasn't missed a game for me. He has played all through pre-season and he needs a rest.

He is still developing physically and mentally and, with the Christmas period coming up, it will be a great benefit to us and him.

James kept a clean sheet at Rugby after I asked the question at half- time can we grind out the result and show our credentials?' I would have been disappointed with a point.

I told the lads Rugby is a place we have got to come and be dogged if we have any aspirations of finishing in the play-off positions.

We were very, very dominant in the first half and should have been 2-0 up. Ross Adams missed a great chance and at 2-0 that would have been job done.

We knew Rugby would have their passage of play where they would come at us, but in the second half the lads were excellent.

They defended with their lives and you could see it in their eyes they were desperate for the win.

We've got the league leaders Hemel Hempstead at home on Saturday.

This is why it is such a testing division. We went to Rugby and got three points and now we have to match Hemel.

It will be a test of our progression and results against teams like them will determine where we will be in the latter part of the season.