Boss Stone's delight at Doughboys' impressive start to life in Midlands Division
"If you had said to me that after 16 games would you take top 10? I would have absolutely taken that."
Wellingborough Town boss Jake Stone is delighted with the progress his team has made on their return to Step 4 football.
Champions of the United Counties League Premier Division South last season, the Doughboys have taken the rise in level in their stride, currently sitting in a very healthy ninth place in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
Just four points shy of the play-off places, and 10 clear of the drop zone, things have gone pretty well at the Dog & Duck, and boss Stone is certainly happy with how things have shaped up so far.
"It's one of where think we are maybe ahead of where we thought we would be," said the Doughboys boss.
"But when you are challenging in these games you want more of it, and you want to do even better.
"If you had said to me that after 16 games would you take top 10? I would have absolutely taken that.
"But the fact we have been in games all the time, it makes you realise we are not a million miles away from that top six area.
"We just have to keep building on what we are doing, keep picking up positive results in the next few weeks and see where that takes us by Christmas.
"The number one objective was to be safe as quickly as possible, and that is still our target."
Stone is right to keep his feet on the ground, as the division is an incredibly tight one.
Just 10 points separate Long Eaton in the play-offs in fifth and 16th-placed Coventry Sphinx, and Stone admits it is the overall strength in depth of the division that has slightly taken him by surprise.
"I think the level across the board is probably stronger than I thought it would be," said the Doughboys boss.
"There are a lot of draws, and the games that are won from that top three downwards tend to be by 1-0 or 2-1.
"So where you can get perhaps get away with an off-day at Step 5, if you have an off day at Step 4 you lose, no matter who you are playing against."
Borough obviously came into this campaign on a high following their title success, and Stone was keen to give those players that won the UCL the chance to shine as the club made the step up.
But he has also added players with Step 4 pedigree to the Doughboys mix, with the likes of Jordan Graham, Danny Draper, Joe Curtis, Sam Warburton and Patrick Casey all coming in, and they are not likely to be the last as the campaign progresses.
"The core of the team is still the one that won the divison last season, and it was important to me to give people that had won the league the opportunity to have a crack at the next level," said Stone.
"But of course you have to pick up three or four players, maybe more, to try and push yourselves up, and that is what I have found.
"Games have been so tight that with a little bit of added quality we might have won games that we have lost.
"It is about picking up players as you go along, and we will see where we will finish. There is no out and out target, other than securing safety."
The Doughboys were without a game last weekend, but return to action on Saturday when they entertain league leaders Quorn at the Dog & Duck.
The Leicestershire side moved five points clear of Corby Town on Tuesday night with a narrow 1-0 win over Sporting Khalsa, a match that was watched by Stone.