Balague: Biggleswade United's poor start is painful - and hits club in the pocket too

It would be an understatement to say this is not exactly the start to the season we envisaged here at Biggleswade United, although it all started so well. But our 5-1 opening league win against Cockfosters flattered to deceive and our subsequent performances - a 4-1 away defeat at Biggleswade FC and elimination from this season’s FA Cup - have, frankly, not been good enough.

Here at the club we are realistic and do not expect to win all the time. What we do demand, however, is that everyone strives to play to their full potential and after just four games nobody should be under any illusion. Nobody has got a place guaranteed in the line up and, even if we can’t, we aim to win every game. We cannot carry passengers.

We know we have players more than capable of producing the goods at this level, and that is why they were brought to the club, but they need to realise that we will not hang around waiting for them to demonstrate it.

There are a whole host of people putting a lot of effort and many hours of hard, thankless work at this club. They deserve better and the very least they, and our supporters, can expect is players who listen, act as they have been instructed and maximise their potential.

Our lacklustre performance on Tuesday means we will now be focusing predominantly on the league and the FA Vase and the last thing I want to contemplate is a scenario where we are one month down the road and out of all the major cups and trailing in everyone’s wake in the league.

I can’t remember the last time we lost in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup, certainly not during my time at the club. To get KOd this season is particularly galling especially when considering the extra money that the FA has put into the competition.

Just making it past the extra preliminary and preliminary rounds would have earned the club more than £5,000. And that kind of money is so hard to get for clubs like ours.

Falling at the first hurdle at Wellingborough means that we will earn just £750 as extra preliminary round losers as opposed to £2250 had we won.

On the plus side we have now a full ladies side at the club, something which used to be a feature at the club many years ago, and also something that will benefit our girls sides from a coaching point of view but also by giving them a senior side that they can now aspire to be a part of.

They start their season at the Arena, Baldock, with a friendly against Welwyn Pegasus this Sunday (2pm). Your support would be very much appreciated.

Let’s get back to winning ways with our visit to London Tigers on Saturday.