I'M delighted to have this opportunity to speak to Evening Press readers about life as captain of York City.

It is a position I'm very proud to have, especially now that the club is enjoying some success after a positive start to the season.

There are a number of factors which have contributed to our good start.

In my opinion, there has never been any doubt about the ability in the squad but now there is more strength in depth.

That gives you a kick up the backside. You know you are playing for your place and if you get out and the team are winning it could be a long time before you get back in.

I think we are mentally stronger too. We were disappointed to drop points at Scunthorpe and also with our performance at Macclesfield but we learned from that, we aired our views and we rectified the problems.

I think the way we bounced back from defeat on Saturday to beat Boston on Monday proved our character.

A sign of a good team is how they respond after a defeat and I think the performance we gave answered any doubters. Everything relates to confidence, which is also a major factor.

It may sound strange, but having lost on Saturday it was nice to see we were still in joint-second place.

If we had been near the bottom and lost, the pressure going into our next game would have been enormous.

It is a different kind of pressure at the top but it is certainly better than that felt at the foot of the table. It all adds to our confidence, which I think has played a major part in the run we are having at Bootham Crescent.

It's a nice feeling to think teams are looking at our record - we have lost just once at home in 2002 - and are maybe fearful of coming here.

If teams are worried then that is a big boost psychologically and means we are already inching ahead before a ball has been kicked.

We are also a lot fitter and much of that has to be down to fitness coach Kevin Hornsby. The fact we have finished strongly in all our games so far is no coincidence.

I think we will also reap the benefits in the winter when the pitches start cutting up.

Hopefully, being fitter will help us steer clear of the injuries that have hampered us before.

The fans have also had a big part to play. It was fantastic to have more than 4,000 there on Monday and the players really appreciate it.

I know just how much the players are looking forward to the club's open day on Sunday at Bootham Crescent when we will be able to meet many of the supporters. It will be great to mix with the fans - they've waited a long time for something to shout about and are really starting to get behind us.

Hopefully, our start is just the beginning and we can win even more games, bring more fans back to the club and win promotion.

Updated: 10:59 Thursday, August 29, 2002