FOOTBALL is an obsession, no matter how badly the season is going or the fact that results have not been kind to us so far.

A weekend without the U’s in action and suddenly the realisation of how much you miss them hits home.

Yes, there is a part of me that longs for the better days that surely must be coming.

And that same voice in my head does question why every weekend I have free is spent up and down the motorways supporting the lads, wondering if there is a cure for the madness.

But then boom - one weekend without it and then all that is forgotten, in the longing for it to return.

The question is, what form will the return to action at Mansfield Town this weekend take?

Gazette:

We've been very hot and cold, with the last two games being on the up.

Even the EFL Trophy defeat against Bristol Rovers was a game that on another night, we would have won.

The positives of improvement were there to see and bar a bit of bad luck, along with a few errors that combined for their late winner, I came away thinking that we should have got more from the tie and at least held on for a penalty shootout.

While dropping out of the last cup competition we remained in was a blow, maybe in the long run it will be one to favour us.

It now means there are no distractions - it is simply all ahead for the league and no worry about any other games to take the full focus from that.

Focus is key to what we need to be committed to, in order to take all the positives we have seen and turn them into a run of successes.

The squad has proved they are able to put in place a performance and play to the style that Matt Bloomfield is trying to bring in.

Gazette:

But this is not something we can afford to see once every four or five games.

We need to have it ingrained in the fabric of everything that happens.

That will only come from 100 per cent focus on the aim and with each player totally in the zone, for the entirety of the game.

Too often we've been the victims of our own errors and conceded goals from situations we have put ourselves in through that period of switching off.

I get that these things will and do happen in football and the fans will understand that, but of late they seem to be happening with more of a regularity that can be excused.

No matter how detailed the game plan is or how much we as a fanbase cheer the lads, a lack of focus can be a game changer that no amount of planning can prevent.

It comes down to the individual and how mentally sharp they are.

This is why a weekend without a game can be of benefit, not so much to the fans, but rather for the players.

It gives them a chance to unwind, spend time away from the game and hopefully mentally recharge ready for the next game and be fully focused.

I know the subject of focus has been heavily harped on about for this week, but I do think it is something that a rest will help to reset and stand us in good stead for the tests to come.

Let's be under no illusions - we need points and fast. Up the U’s.