Could have been more in reality.
With games coming thick and fast due to the team's success in cup competitions this season, there's never been a better time to prove our squad has strength in depth than the past week or so and they will need to prove it again in the next couple of weeks as well.
Changes had to be made again for yesterday's fixture against Erith Town following the 2-1 away win at Bridon Ropes on Wednesday night. Ellis, Crabb and Carrington came back in to the starting eleven and Pring made his debut after signing from Tunbridge Wells FC during the week, whilst the rest of the team did take part on Wednesday.
Unavailable for selection were Tear, Appiah, Carey, Muggeridge, Walder, Trotter and Baitup, due to suspension, injury and illness, so having strength in depth is a must when battling away on so many fronts.
Games against teams below a mid table position, especially away, can be quite tricky as they usually raise their game and with us being unbeaten for so long every team wants to be the ones that bring that run to an end.
However, there's never been a doubt that our players take every game the same way and every opposition team is treated exactly the same, they're viewed as a threat and therefore, our workrate and effort can't and never does drop.
As for us fans, it was a new ground to visit for most I would have thought since the Dockers took up residence at VCD Athletic FC at the start of this season and it is not a bad ground, the pitch being in good condition but there is a long walk from the car park to the changing rooms, which are in fact a cricket style pavilion outside the confines of the stadium itself.
Perhaps there was an air of trepidation amongst the Crow faithful after finding out how many players were missing but once the game started if there was any trepidation it soon disappeared. However, the Dockers really should have taken the lead early on, a bad back pass left Ellis exposed and the forward, Simms, took the ball around Ellis but pushed it too far wide, his eventual shot hitting the side netting for a goal kick. That chance was the only clear effort the home side had for the rest of the game.
So the Crows had their 10 minute slow start and after that near warning the Crows upped the pace and intensity for the rest of the 90 minutes and never looked back. Many times in these type of games the first goal is very important, for the lower ranked team it gives them incentive and lift, whilst for the higher ranked team it calms nerves and settles the whole side down.
The first goal did eventually arrive for the Crows in the 26th minute when Treleaven, who had already had two efforts saved and was a whisker away from another, tapped home from close range after great work by Attwood his strike partner.
After the goal it was one-way traffic towards the Dockers goal, Treleaven again had an effort blocked on the line before it was cleared and then Crabb tried his luck but the effort went wide. Eventually the second goal did arrive in the 43rd minute, Treleaven again the scorer with a header from a pin-point cross by Clarke, practically a carbon copy of the winner on Wednesday night, so 2-0 as the sides eventually left the field for the half time break.
The Crows started the second half on fire and it was 3-0 after 46 minutes, Crabb finishing off a superb team move after being set free by Attwood. A mere 4 minutes later and the score went from 3-0 to 5-0, a poor back pass found Attwood and he duly slotted the ball past Penfold for 4-0 and a great ball forward by Clarke allowed Attwood to beat his marker for pace and strength before getting inside the area and finishing off by putting the ball past the hapless Penfold.
For Town it was now about salvaging some pride so they made a double substitution in the 60th minute and for Crows their substitutions in the 62nd minute, Shea coming on for Carrington and Perry coming on for Crabb, it was about giving players rest for the tougher games which lie ahead.
In the 71st minute it became 6-0, Attwood completing his hat trick after yet another poor clearance by Penfold, whose kicking hadn't been consistent throughout the match. Crows made their last substitution at this point, Treleaven who had worked his socks off was replaced by Pearson.
The first yellow card of the match was shown in the 80th minute to Palmer after he kicked out at Vickers and three minutes later, in the 83rd, the home side were awarded a penalty for an infringement in the area. Ellis was booked for dissent and McKenna duly despatched the spot kick past Ellis for 6-1.
Crows had wasted some good chances prior to them scoring and really should have been further ahead but conceding seemed to upset the away side and they went up the other end and got a penalty of their own in the 92nd minute, Clarke went on a long run and was brought down in the area by a home defender, the third penalty he's won in three successive games.
Attwood, our normal penalty taker, gathered the ball up but gave it to Perry who put the opportunity away for 7-1.
At the end of the game some of the gathered observers gave their MOM nominations and in the end a joint award was made between Tom Vickers and Zac Attwood, well deserved on both accounts.
The run is now 31 unbeaten, still top of the league, still in four cup competitions and we role on to play away to Beckenham Town on Wednesday evening in search of a further three points.