Guillem Balague: We stuck by our manager and it's paid off for Biggleswade United

I say halfway, but in fact various cup commitments mean that we have played just 16 out of 42 league games which is between one and seven games less than all the other sides in our division.

Despite this we are still holding our own in a respectable mid-table 11th place although I definitely feel this is a false standing and I am would be extremely disappointed if we didn’t improve on that considerably once we have caught up with our games in hand.

What is certain is that we have come a long way since the arrival of Cristian Colas and his coaching team arrived at Second Meadow.

It was not the most auspicious of starts as our players struggled to come to terms with the demanding schedule and rigours of our coaching practices. In our first ten matches under our new coach we won just once and suffered nine defeats.

The easy thing would have been to panic, to abandon our principles, to ring the changes. What we did instead was extend Cristian’s contract for a further season which was our way of saying that we believed in the plan, had faith, and knew that sooner or later the tide would turn.

We were helped by the fact that, relatively speaking, we enjoyed an injury free run and that the training system we had put in place was beginning to pay dividends.

What followed from November after our first season was a run of 12 victories and a vindication or our policy of playing attractive football and playing it the right way. At the end of our first season we finished in our highest ever league position.

There is a myth surrounding us at Biggleswade United that we don’t really care about winning but more about how we play. The truth is we care desperately about winning but know that if we are to build a winning formula it must be done with a view to the long term from the bottom right up to the very top and always with to entertaining.

It isn’t just about ‘pot-hunting’ but that is a long way from saying that losing doesn’t hurt us as much as it does every other club; it does

Our Under 23 side also had a sticky start but under the guidance of Alfie Long and Joan Garzon are fourth in their group, rock solid and already becoming the feed to the first team that we always wanted them to be.

Our Academy under the skilful guidance of Fran Constancio also goes from strength to strength. Fran originally was brought in to help with first team duties but it took hardly any time at all to realise that the Academy was far to important a part of our formation to merit anything less than Fran’s undivided attention.

But before we welcome in the New Year we have unfinished league business with our last league match of 2016 when we visit Stotfold next Tuesday (kick off 3pm).

Finally let me take this opportunity to wish everyone at our great litle club a very Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year. Thanks to all of you for your efforts and support throughout the year and let’s hope we can repay it in 2017.