JUST four games into the season and John Barton probably has more questions than answers about his team despite capturing six points over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Quite simply, City have yet to get out of second gear and have looked anything but promotion candidates.

Wins against Ilkeston Town and Hinckley United have kept City in touch with the leaders but Barton knows his side cannot continue to perform at those levels and expect to keep picking up three points.

It is in defence that City have looked most vulnerable and six goals conceded in two home matches tells its own story.

Sides have been able to pick holes in Worcester's defences, twice forcing them to stage last gasp hurrahs to rescue situations.

City have played both with four at the back and wing backs but with differing degrees of success.

In the first half against Hinckley they started with four but fell two behind before switching to wing backs in the second period.

Barton is striving to find balance in his side and that could be the key for his team to gel but I would not be surprised if he does not bring in one or two players to boost his options.

But all is not doom and gloom at St George's Lane - far from it - and on the plus side City have scored seven goals at home, and also created a sackful against Kettering Town, despite losing 4-1.

City have discovered the knack of winning and as pundits will tell you, winning is a habit - a good one.

Despite patchy performances to date, City are just two points off the pace and it is still very early stages.

Once Barton's men find their confidence and shape then hopefully the displays will improve.

One player who will have been delighted to get on the scoresheet with an injury-time winner is Darren Middleton.

A striker by choice, Barton has exploited Middleton's versatility and played him in a central midfield role where I think he could do very well.

He has pace, touch and now that he has got on the scoresheet, he could well be the player Barton has been looking for to boost City's goals tally, which as has been seen in the early matches, remains heavily reliant on Mark Owen (six goals to date).

Owen, for his part, worked very hard on Monday night and as well as chipping in with two goals created Marc Burrow's 90th minute equaliser through sheer persistence.

City make their first ever 'overseas' trip on Saturday when they travel to newly-promoted Newport (Isle of Wight).

They then have a local derby at home to Moor Green next Monday.