Some great news but a reality check needed.

Alex Woodyard has agreed to extend his stay with Lincoln City once again. That is good news by anybody’s standard. Given that the manager was trying to tie down Woodyard and Sean Raggett one must assume either Raggett does not want to sign an extended deal or negotiations are going to be more protracted. Either way we shouldn’t be perturbed.

I think we have to be realistic about both players, they will move on to bigger and better things sooner or later. Neither owe us anything after last season.

Woodyard is a different animal to Raggett. He’s Cowleys man. He’s followed Cowley wherever he’s gone and he’ll do so again in my view so when Danny departs so will Alex. What comforts me is that Danny and Nicky Cowley, whilst full of ambition want to take our club further forward before moving on. I think we can pat ourselves on the back for partly facilitating that. If crowds had risen to four or five thousand and season ticket sales panned out at say three thousand the managers might have come to the conclusion that their time at Lincoln was coming to a close.

As it happens Lincoln City were, to all intents and purposes the best supported team in the National League, along with Tranmere. Now, thanks to season ticket sales they will be up there at the top of the best supported League Two clubs. We need to keep it that way. The Cowleys will want to see us filling Sincil Bank on a regular basis, even if results do not always go our way.

That’s what we have to do to keep them in my view and even then they’ll go eventually so enjoy the ride while it lasts.