Many fans have been asking me recently about new signings - so now is a good time to talk about it.

New signings are what fans often wish to see and sometimes without too much thought as to how they can be squeezed into our matchday squad, but I understand that any true supporter gets a little bit of a buzz when they hear about a new signing.

I don’t normally comment on signings until they are done, but news of one player we did try to sign last week, striker Connor Woods, was leaked all over social media by northern journalists; so, as the secret is no more, it is a good place to start.

Linnets boss Adam Lakeland (Image: Ian Burt)

Our manager, Adam Lakeland, only wants to sign players that will make the squad stronger and better or indeed are different to what we already have in the building. He is of course correct in his approach.

Woods is 26, a good player and one at his prime and was the main danger when we played Warrington two weeks ago. Marine - today’s opponents at The Walks - were in for him, but it was very unlikely that he would move to a team that are in the same predicament as his current club.

We like to do things properly and ask the selling club for permission to speak with the player (we don’t work the back channels like many clubs do).

After our game at Warrington, Adam spoke with Paul Caden, the Warrington manager, and told him of our interest.

Paul said there had been interest from several clubs, including Chester, and he was resigned to losing him. None of those other clubs’ interests have surfaced on social media so they will need to stay private. After some internal conversations we tabled a bid, which we then bumped up a little to Warrington’s chairman and secretary, who were both excellent to deal with. They gave us permission to speak with the player, which the manager duly did on Monday.

We told Connor what we could offer over Chester - full-time football versus a hybrid model and a manager that can improve him as a player.

From the player's perspective, he wanted to stay more local to home, which was the main sticking point and an overriding factor in his decision making. Clearly, we can’t move the club and any player that wants a crack at league football needs to have some faith in his ability and give the opportunity his best shot. I accept it is a risk, but that is the game we play.

There are strong rumours that Charlie Caton is moving from Chester to Accrington Stanley, which finances the Woods move nicely for them, and also allowed Connor to earn a decent salary and get a reported £4,000 signing on fee from Chester.

From our side we will continue to monitor the situation and if the right opportunity pops up, we will do our best to make it happen.

There was a lot of work put in by everyone and, ultimately, we lost out to another club.  However, if a player does not want to move out of his comfort zone and grab full-time football when offered, it speaks volumes to my ears. As the manager and I both agreed, something better will show up, it always does.

This scenario played out several times last season with different clubs and different players - it takes a lot of effort to get it right. We wish Connor all the best at his new home and hope it works out for him.

Pitching in

Our pitch has always been a major talking point in recent seasons, but for all the wrong reasons, and this year I am delighted that our groundsman, Ben Hails, has well and truly buried any negativity, by producing a surface which is the best that I have seen since arriving at the club.

This, of course, costs money and we have allocated around £4,000 in fertilizer costs to be applied between now and the end of the season, to ensure it stays in peak condition, which in turn allows the players to perform at a better level.  A poor pitch usually favours our opponents.

Great expectations?

The final question I want to respond to is 'do I think we are exceeding expectations?' I don’t personally think we are. If you combine a good manager and assistant manager with good recruitment, decent training facilities, a good pitch and a full-time model you will usually produce a great team.

So, when I saw some crazy betting odds at the start of the season I told some friends to fill their boots (football regulations prevent me from having a bet or interest of any sort on any worldwide game, so sadly I could not join them).  Whether they took advantage or not I do not know, but I felt in my bones that we would be there or thereabouts this season.

There is a long way to go and there are teams with bigger budgets than us, but you must spend it well and keep wastage to a minimum, something that I feel has been achieved this season.

Compared to last season it is chalk and cheese. I expected a slower start as we have a new team to bed in, but as the season progresses the full-time clubs have an advantage, especially with the number of postponed matches needing to be played and, of course, our players will get used to playing together.

Take nothing for Grant-ed

Today we face a Marine side that has a good friend of mine as the CEO and he and his board have done remarkable things since playing Tottenham in the FA Cup.

Marine are a very good side and their league position is a false one - with Bobby Grant, the ex-Scunthorpe, Accrington and Rochdale striker and their captain due to return from injury today we will need to be on our toes.

Hopefully, we will have good support this afternoon at The Walks as I know personally how much it means to the players when the town backs its team.