I have followed non-league football for over 40 years and, until I moved to Leamington, thought I had seen the best Warwickshire could offer in the Nuneaton Borough team that included Kirk Stephens and Trevor Peake.

Having read so much about Graham Allner's side, I decided to go to the Windmill in 1983 to see what the fuss was about.

I am all too aware of the standards his players set and what we still have to do to emulate that great team.

We have tried not to set too many targets; just re-launching the club was daunting enough. But, even accepting the BGB League is not the same as the Southern League of old, getting back to our 'spiritual home' was something we set our hearts on.

It has made all the effort since the club went into hibernation in 1988 worthwhile.

Even at our current level we need good crowds and a successful commercial operation to balance the books. Last Saturday we had 560 at the New Windmill.

This was the second highest attendance by any club in the league this season and we hold top spot as well from our bank holiday fixture.

So, on crowds alone, we should be well placed to look to the Blue Square North, as Simon suggests. This is the equivalent of where we were 20 years ago and has to be our ambition.

However it will require a change in the club set-up, involving full-time professionals on and off the field.

So, we need patience and the same steady, financially prudent, approach that has got the club to where it is today.

Each step of the non-league pyramid is steeper than the one before but, with continued support from our fans and the local business community, we can continue our climb.

Every club needs ambition but, above all, we need realism. Football history is littered with stories of clubs that got it wrong.
David Hucker, chairman, Leamington FC