I was so encouraged by Bermuda Hogges' 2-0 victory against Wilmington Hammerheads - it was the first time we have delivered a complete professional performance.

Although we won a couple of games last season, they were slightly different and the result of many weeks of hard work and struggling to adapt to the higher level.

We talked to the players about the windy conditions before Saturday's game and what was required to win the match. The players really took our words onboard and stuck to the game plan. I thought they were superb in the first half when they gave a very mature display. For me, we won the match in the first half.

Finally it seems as though the players are starting to learn that they have to earn the three points by competing and battling. Against certain teams, and in certain conditions, it's a case of 70 minutes battling and 20 minutes of playing football. At one point I actually thought we were going to have to battle for 90 minutes against Hammerheads.

We gambled and played against the wind in the first half and looked to play the ball deep into their half to keep them away from our goal with the wind was in their favour.

In the second half we had to adapt again because we knew we could not go long in the second period, as the wind would have run the ball out of play. I thought we played some really nice football and richly deserved the victory.

I felt Stevie Astwood set the tone for us in the first half with his terrific performance. Stevie's natural position is as a striker but he's been excellent since we moved him to the centre of midfield against Charlotte Eagles.

He won more loose balls and slide tackles than we expected and he has a very good passing range and knows where the forwards like to receive the ball. We don't have many players blessed with Stevie's physical presence and I think he could be a really big player for us this season.

Having Stevie holding the midfield allowed Sammy DeGraff to do his usual thing and I've got to mention Kwame Steede's goal - what a strike that was! In all my years I never scored a goal quite like that. Kwame's challenge now is to reproduce that kind of quality performance week-in week-out.

Although the victory has relieved some early season pressure it's important we don't get carried away with ourselves. The players must keep their feet on the ground and each analyse their own performances. Even when you play well and win there's always areas where you can improve your game.

Our performance in Saturday's match suggested we will not be pushovers this season and the other teams will take note of our recent victory. That means we will have to work even harder and battle even more to maintain the standards we set against Hammerheads.

Finally, I'm quite concerned to read that Sven Goran Eriksson may not be manager of Manchester City next season. For me, it's absolute ludicrous. Sven's done a very good job in his first season and in some ways has been the victim of the superb start City made when they were probably over achieving.

To sack a coach of Sven's calibre and reputation after just one season is just silly talk and quite concerning.