It is very much game on according to London Colney boss Jack Metcalfe as they head into the second leg of the Colney Cup just one goal adrift of neighbours Colney Heath.
That had looked unlikely as they trailed 2-0 at half-time in the first leg at the Recreation Ground, George Devine getting both with two very similar headers, but a second-half fightback was rewarded with a goal from Finbar King 10 minutes from time to make it 2-1 and nicely set-up the return at Cotlandswick on Saturday.
"Yeah, it’s game on next week," said Metcalfe. "They were a little bit flatter but we started on the front foot [after the break] and we took it to them.
"That’s the London Colney I want.
"We looked vulnerable from wide areas in the first half and just needed a bit of desire to go and win the ball, be first, get your head in where it hurts.
"We told them at half-time and we did that a lot better in the second half and showed some quality too."
The two curtailed seasons saw London Colney at the bottom of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division but when Metcalfe took over the Blueboys' hot-seat back in March, his aim was to bring some consistency to the club and a bit more of a competitive edge.
With a good run of results since lockdown was eased, he believes they are bang on track to achieve that.
Metcalfe said: "The last 10 games or so has been seven wins and one draw and I’m relatively pleased.
"Well, I am pleased but I want more, I’m greedy like that.
"We were humming and hawing about what we were going to do in this period.
"Some teams are off, some are on but we decided we wanted to get in and ahead of the curve from where we need to be.
"It’s worked, and in our favour, so we are in a good place at the moment.
"There are still a few areas I’d like to improve but I’m happy."
Those improvements will require the signing of one or two but Metcalfe says the squad that played on Saturday will be very close to the one that begins the season in August.
"All the players that [played on Saturday] will be in our first-team squad for next season," he said.
"We’ll add a few more, just to bolster us a little bit. We are working in a niche market budget-wise and things like that, so we have to be clever in what we do.
"Bit I’m happy with where we are."
Kick-off for the second leg at Cotlandswick is at 3pm on Saturday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here