“COACH, “after eight games, how would you sum up your season?” was the question from the reporter. “Well, looking purely at the results, we are doing well. We have been winning and we are yet to lose a game,” the coach, Courtney Jackson, responded.

“But coach,” the reporter continued, “did you expect it to be this easy, considering that New Green are going through somewhat of a “transition?” You are without your number one goalkeeper from the last two seasons and you are also new to the team.”

Without hesitation, Jackson replied in the affirmative. “Yes, man! But what I’m going to say now might even surprise you.”

There was a moment of silence, as he gathered his thoughts. “I actually expected more.” “More? In what way?” the reporter, seemingly stunned by the response, queried.

The word “transition” might be stretching it a bit, because New Green, the top football club in Manchester these days, have retained the majority of the squad that led them to the National Premier League play-off two seasons ago.

However, losing a goalkeeper the calibre of Levar Williams and a coach, as influential as Andre Swaby, at the same time can be a bit disheartening. Williams, standing at just 5ft 6 inches, is a keeper who former coach Swaby once described as “the spine of the team”.

Swaby himself was considered a backbone of this team – serving not only as a coach, but in many ways also as an administrator.

But while the loss of their two most influential figures — certainly over the past two campaigns — could or would have been catastrophic for some teams, New Green have somehow managed to keep the wheel in motion.

They have not only won the first two trophies on offer on the current Manchester FA calendar, they also occupy top spot on both the overall and Zone Two points standing in the Captain’s Bakery Major League.

And, as their coach mentioned, they are yet to taste defeat at the half-way stage of the season, which they capped with a 2-1 victory over Greenvale United in Sunday’s midseason final at Brooks Park.

In all, New Green have played over 16 competitive games dating back to the start of the season in September, failing to win only once: a 0-0 draw in the league against Kendal, the same team whom they beat to claim the Brumalia House Knockout title in December.

Under the former coach Swaby, New Green took pride in having a mean defensive unit, conceding just one goal in 10 home games when they won the Super League in 2012.

This season, it has pretty much been the same. New Green have conceded only three goals in eight games. Offensively, however, they are so far being outdone by Porus, who despite sitting fifth in the overall points standing and fourth in Zone Two, averaged over two goals per game in the first half of the competition.

Considering that New Green have never really been a free-scoring team, not many see that as a major problem. But that seems to be a part of Jackson’s concern when he said, “I actually expect more”.

“Based on the quality players that I know we have, we should have been winning games more convincingly,” he expounded.

“Some of the victories were just too narrow.” What is the problem? Complacency? “I really think so, enuh,” Jackson replied. “And that is something that we always talk about in team meetings.

I always tell them that we are the target. The other teams in the parish are improving — and everybody is coming to beat New Green — so we cannot afford to lose focus.”

“The other thing that we need to improve on is our training,” he continued. But in some ways that is understandable, he said, “because a lot of our players have to go to work”.

In spite of his concerns, Jackson fully expects New Green to be among the teams challenging for a place in next season’s Premier League. “That is the aim and that is why we cannot afford to lose focus,” he said.

Since relating his concerns last week Monday, New Green added another victory to their tally — beating Greenvale last Friday for the second time in the space of five days, in a cross-zone fixture.

They have now improved their tally to 25 points. But the scoreline was no different, 2-1 the game ended.