Last week the crowd here was, at 11,810, the biggest crowd to watch a club game in England, bar Gloucester. A bigger crowd than the local Guinness Premiership derbies between Bath and Bristol and Saracens and London Irish. Bigger than the home games at Leeds, London Wasps and Worcester.

Give yourselves a massive round of applause!

It is heart-warming to everyone connected with the Saints and bodes well for next year. Obviously we have to believe we can win this division and return to the Guinness Premiership.

However we will need to strengthen the squad. We can only do that if we can keep and raise our gate monies. So please start saving up for next year’s season ticket and bring along a friend!

A big, big welcome to today’s visitors from Newbury. Obviously they will feel it’s a little bit like entering the Lions’ den. Yet someone will beat us eventually. I’m sure they feel why not them? One thing is for certain – like every game this season so far we will be treating them with the utmost respect and giving our very best.

It’s also the first time the Saints and Blues have crossed paths. This is one of the things I’m enjoying about this year, the chance to go to new places and make new friends. It’s another one of these trips next week to Launceston in Cornwall.

More pasties and another weekend away. Come and join the party! Before then we need five points today so please cheer the team on.

It’s been good to see our second team, the Wanderers, perform so well this year. Another victory on Monday night cemented our position at the top of the Guinness ‘A’ League’s Northern Conference. Well done to all of the coaches and players and keep it up. A quick reminder that season ticket holders get in free to the Wanderers’ games. They really are great entertainment for a Monday night so come along and bring lots of friends.

There are two home Wanderers matches before the next Saints game. One date for your diary is Monday, December 17th. That’s because Leicester are playing here at the Gardens. It was a great evening up at Welford Road a couple of weeks ago and I’m sure we can do the same here.

The next home NL1 game is on the Saturday after that, against the Cornish Pirates. If you haven’t got your ticket for this game or the Bedford game on January 5th, please, please book your tickets soon as there are very few remaining. In fact all of the terrace spaces have been sold for the Bedford game.

Come along and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere on the 22nd and watch a close, tense game against the Pirates, who currently lie fourth in the table and gave us a real run for our money back in September. The local derby against Bedford is also a must-see game.

Don’t leave it too late and be disappointed. Get your tickets today – better still enquire about our executive boxes and treat yourselves!

Well another month starts, another critical month, where the aim is to continue to put some daylight between us and the following pack. Next week Exeter are playing Doncaster. The one thing we know is that they can’t both win! We just have to keep grinding on at the same time.

Enjoy today, and see you at the Pirates game!