CONDITIONS were as bad on Saturday as I can remember them in recent memory.

The wind and rain, particularly in the final 15 minutes of the match, were so severe that some fans retreated inside to take shelter in the bar. The players had no such luxury.

Watching the team combat the elements, as well as the opposition, in those final minutes, it was impossible not to feel a real sense of pride in the battling qualities that Ian Evatt has instilled within them.

Those are rarely the qualities we discuss. The media and even the fans prefer to dwell on the champagne football, the flowing moves and the swagger.

But make no mistake about it, the mental strength that we showed on Saturday is every bit as integral to our title challenge as the technical ability of the squad.

At full time, with another three points on the board, it was difficult not to feel like this was another of those hugely successful results like Torquay and Dover had been. We get ourselves over the line at home in challenging circumstances and that’s what champions do.

There are still hurdles to come but we are now into the final 10 fixtures of what could be a historic season.

This, by any measure, is the ‘home stretch’. There are fans – myself hopefully included – who will be attending every game now.

For others, a holiday or a birthday may take them out of the equation for a particular game. But many are starting to plot a route through as many fixtures as possible, keen not to miss this relentless march toward history and a return to the Football League after almost half a century in the wilderness.

Who can blame them? Many have been fans all through that period, viewing a potential promotion as vindication for a relegation that should never have been. The hour of justice may be approaching but there are some tough battles still standing in our way.

Yet who could fail to have confidence in the side that Ian Evatt has assembled? Who could still doubt their desire, their belief that this mountain is well within them to climb?

Every game is approached with the same resolve, the same confidence in the ability both of themselves and of their team mates. Despite the challenging fixtures still to come, I for one have confidence that the perfect storm is breaking overhead.