What a huge relief as the Blues returned to winning ways against Crawley in midweek.

They looked much more like their old selves as midfielder Joe Riley inspired a comfortable 2-0 win to lift the mood of fans.

If we can follow it up with another good display at Southend on Saturday then the play-off places may not yet be out of reach.

The win came just in time as the recent slump in form had triggered the start of the blame game among some supporters with the board of directors, players and head coach all coming under fire.

Unsurprisingly, it was Chris Beech who was in the immediate line of sights. There have even been online polls on whether he should be sacked although the majority of fans appeared to back him.

Since joining the Blues 16 months ago Beech has always shown great humility and has treated the club and fans with the utmost respect. He deserves the same.

The CUOSC board has 10 board members and we were all as upset as any fan with how things turned sour. We are desperate for him to do well.

But Beech will know better than anyone that it is results that count.

You cannot argue that a dismal run of one win in 13 would have ended with many a manager being sacked. But in this case, in my opinion, that would have been very harsh.

Beech has turned the club around since taking over, building a youthful squad that will keep improving.

In this extraordinary season Beech led the Blues to the top of the table before the team suffered a double whammy - a serious Covid outbreak and weather problems. That must buy him some credit.

United need stability and most fans were singing his praises and were delighted when he signed a new contract just three months ago.

CUOSC has representatives on the club’s boards but over the last 12 months official meetings have been hampered by Covid restrictions.

Billy Atkinson is on the Holdings Board which has met a couple of times, but some members were unable to attend because of government regulations. Jim Mitchell is on the 1921 Operational Board. He is waiting for the meetings to recommence when the easing of restrictions allow.

To find out more about CUOSC visit www.cusoc.org.uk