The John Barton column

AS a manager you are always looking to improve the team but over the close season this squad probably needs the least amount of surgery since I've been at the club.

Of course it's always healthy to bring in a couple of new players especially ones that can have an influence and add something to the team and I will be looking to strengthen if the right ones become available.

As I've said before in recent weeks we have got to aim to finish as high as we can and the players' efforts up to now deserve a good end to the season.

However we will only earn any plaudits if we continue right to the last kick of the season. It's no use having a good season for half the year, or for two thirds, it has to be from start to finish.

But I would like my team to get some sort of recognition because they are a good bunch of characters let alone players.

Letting it slip now would be the worst thing we could do and there is a lot of honour to be gained from being runners up if we cannot claim that top spot.

A strong finish also knocks it on for next season and we've already seen this year the rewards for a positive start to the title race and if we don't catch Tamworth lets get the best preparation for August which is a team in a winning frame of mind.

If Tamworth do go on to win the league, as looks likely at this stage, they will deserve a huge amount of praise.

It is hard to win any league, I don't care what standard of football it is, so credit to them if they do pull it off.

Saturday was a hard-earned point and to give Chippenham credit I can see why they have stayed the pace. They've got some resilience about them, a good work ethic about the team.

I knew it was going to be a difficult match and it was. A goalless draw was probably the predictable result and to the benefit of clubs around us.

During a tight game there were few clear-cut chances but the challenge on Danny McDonnell by Martin Paul was, in my opinion, a red card offence.

Everyone has their views and the Chippenham camp will say he made a genuine challenge for the ball but I didn't see that - the scars on Danny's leg are testimony to that.

Considering some of the decisions I have seen this season I thought Paul was lucky to get away with a yellow card.

It was a difficult game to play in not least for Mark Shail, (pictured left), who was relatively short of match fitness but he called on all his experience and did very well and a good job for us.

Marc Burrow probably had his least effective game for us since returning from injury but in general has done well since his comeback.

Considering that at one stage there were doubts whether he would even play again due to his bad back it's great just to see him involved again.

Mark Blount returned to Burton Albion at the weekend and was pretty shocked to find himself playing in midfield for the opening spell. He eventually dropped back and by all accounts did well.

That doesn't surprise me because when his fitness levels are up he's a good player.

I don't know if we will see him at St George's Lane again, loan complications meant we couldn't take him for a third month but he's one of a number of players that I will be keeping tabs on. You can never say never because you just don't know what is around the corner.

A couple of weeks ago, with 13 games left, I created a little mini-table for us and we've taken seven from nine points.

We've got a week off now so we can go away and come into the final 10 games refreshed and ready to give it our best shot as we have done all season.