THREE points at home and one away is said to be championship form.
Applying that formula today would see Heanor just one point away from the asking rate.
But such is the strength of the new East Midlands Counties League that such a return of points throughout the season may not be enough to guarantee even a top s
ix finish.
Now, two-thirds of the way into the second season of the new Step 6 league is a good opportunity to assess its success.
Certainly the standard of football is a degree higher than the Central Midlands League.
And the standard of opposition and facilities are distinctly better.
There are certainly no mugs as Anstey Nomads have found out in their first season following promotion from the Leicestershire Senior League.
Threadbare Heanor though desperately need an injection of new players to freshen up the squad.
And managers Glenn Kirkwood and Craig Hopkins have been working hard on this aim without success so far.
The missing Adam Kay left the Lions only able to name three substitutes plus Kirkwood at Gedling Miners Welfare last Saturday.
George Walker stepped into Adam Kay’s boots and from the first kick of the game to the last he was the Lions outstanding performer.
And goalkeeper Sam Ogrizovic is another who has hit sparking form since returning from injury.
But a number of Heanor’s more experienced players are currently going through a lean spell.
It would be fair to say that skipper Gary Webster and flying winger Graham Wells, amongst others, are struggling to find the sort of form that was instrumental in taking the Lions to the top of the table pre-Christmas.
It is situations like this when a reserve side should be able to provide some cover.
But for the second successive season Heanor’s second string has again proved not to be a scrap of use to the first team.
Last season the Lions reserves, who came close to claiming honours on all three fronts, didn’t want to play for the senior side, and the team was run almost as a separate club giving no help whatsoever to struggling manager Jamie Bennett.
And this season’s team, with just one win in 17 games, is about as much use to managers Kirkwood and Hopkins as a chocolate orange in a furnace.
Indeed, last Saturday’s record 10-1 home defeat by Belper Town Reserves has now seen them ship exactly 100 goals in those 17 games.
From this it can be plainly seen that there is nothing at reserve team level to challenge for a first team place, resulting in no competition for the senior players.
It is a situation which clearly wants sorting out for next season, with Messrs Kirkwood and Hopkins being brought into the equation of the appointing reserve team personnel.
Whilst the manager and players of the reserve team have tried hard for the club this season, their league record shows that they are clearly out of their depth.
But it is commendable that they turn up week after week despite suffering crushing and humiliating defeats.
