GEORGE Moncur signing a full-time contract for the U’s caught us fans totally unaware.

It’s a sign of the club’s ambition because there is little doubt that Moncur could have found other options if he was determined enough. It’s nice to know that he is happy to join the club and be part of the future, because he can have a large part to play in taking us forward.

George no doubt has good advice near at hand as his father John Moncur played at various levels of the game, so he knows the territory.

The high ratio of footballing sons of footballing dads is a healthy trend at the club at the moment. As well as George Moncur, there are Drey and Diaz Wright, sons of Jermaine Wright, and Louis Dunne, son of Joe.

Let’s talk about our hopes for the rest of the season. A very good measure of a side good enough to push at the top of League One is the question ‘how many of the players could survive in the Championship?’.

This way of measuring promotion potential was put to me by Brian Owen before a ball had been kicked in our last promotion season (2005/6) from League One. He went through the team, Halford, Danns, Brown, Chilvers, Watson etc, and convinced me that each one was good enough to play at a level higher. I should have gone straight down the bookies and made some easy money!

Humes and Hall are remoulding the side, and if we reach that standard again, we will be ready to push on.

Presently, we are in the happy position of having a young squad of players who should improve in the next few years. We lack experience, but there are some old heads on young shoulders in the lads coming through, notably Gilbey, Kent and Szmodics, so we might just get by.

Showing again that we fear no one in League One, we took on Barnsley in their own back yard and gave them a real run for their money.

There is no such thing as a good defeat, but Friday’s was less heart-breaking than some. We gained a few moral victories on the night.

The following day the Under 18’s progressed to the FA Youth Cup Third Round, gracing the main pitch at the stadium. The progression and improvement of these players from one appearance to the next can quite striking.

Admittedly, Cheltenham were not the strongest opposition, but they had the advantage of an early goal, and they had a potential match winner in the shape of the dangerous Lewis Thompson, so beating them was a good team achievement.

Last season Coventry City gave us a right chasing at their temporary home of Sixfields Stadium. At that time it looked like a formidable side was being built by Steve Pressley.

Things have not panned out as planned since then, on or off the pitch, and they come to the Weston Homes tomorrow on the back of some poor results. They will be determined to get some reward tomorrow, to turn things around, but we will be ready.