Well there aren't many times that Town can claim to be top of league, but after one solitary game, that is where the mighty Shrewsbury Town sit, after a very impressive performance over Lincoln.

Coupled with the victory on Tuesday night against Colchester, Town look handily placed to push on this season.

Unfortunately issues last week prevented my article being published, but in it, I said Town would finish third, and only the new stadium (getting used to it) and injuries could stop them.

The injury to Andy Cooke therefore is a real blow. As we know all to well, on his day, Cookey is a match winner, and his quality and experience will be sorely missed. It's a shame that with Bradford being the visitors on Saturday (one of Cooke's former teams) Andy won't be able to play but opportunities arise, and Stuart Nicholson a young striker from the Baggies, will possibly be thrown in to fill the void.

Winning at Lincoln was a dream come true. I've lost count of the amount of times I've come away from 'Sinny Bank' or Gay Meadow to meet and greet, and usual the bragging rights have been with our friends from Lincolnshire. But not this time.

Town were superb and although Lincoln defended like we did in 2002/3, lets not take away how good we were because trust me, we were that good!

It seems that the Imps have the play off hangover at the moment. Something some pundits thought would affect Town. Not at the moment.

Ok, you can't carried away. It's one game for Christ sake, but during the pre season, and in these two games, Town have looked strong, vibrant, with plenty of options and that to me is a promotion winning team. We seem to have recruited better, and although Asamoah on paper is a huge loss, Town are playing good football, look lively, fit and up for it.

Long may that continue.

I think I'm right in thinking we haven't been top since September 2001. After beating Rochdale with a last minute goal, Town went to the Vetch and drew 3-3 in a fantastic game. I seem to remember the Swans may have been bottom of the league at the time. So enjoy it whilst we can, but hey why cant we stay there?

Generally things are settling in at the new stadium. The problems being reported to me last week were very unfortunate and deeply regrettable. The club have to there favour came out and apologised and I believe lessons will be learnt. One thing that I am finding very hard to stomach at the moment is the amount of personal abuse I'm hearing directed at club staff.

Example Tuesday. I was as ever flying it from Droitwich, and arrived in South Shrewsbury at 7.25 p.m. I managed to get to the ground at 7.40 and was then met by a queue to the Ticket Office.

Ok, frustrating, but for league games the queues shouldn't be as long as this, and as I said to Wynnie 'I've never seen a kick of in my life' so what's changing now. Just the walk from the Telepost and the queue for my ticket.

The negativity was unreal. There were four points open for sales and the queue was moving quickly. Those that had pre booked were being sort from the queue to get their tickets given to them.

As I approached the office, one gentleman of middling years, was with his three children and was giving one of the staff a right go. He was saying that because he was paying £50 in total, he should just be able to turn up, get a ticket and get in. And that the football club had had 11 years to sort this out, and how scandalous it was etc, etc. The fact of the matter is that 'Evoshrew' was a kid in junior school when Roland set out on the long road to the new ground.

How I didn't say something I don't know. Yes I was disappointed that I was waiting but for gaud sake, if you turn up late for any other event, trains, bus, you're going to have to queue. It's not feasible to have thirty points around the ground selling tickets.

I went to my seat in the South Stand and wondered actually why I had bothered campaigning for new stadium. Why had I written all those letters, been to meetings, agonised if we should do this or that. What was the point when actually all we ever seem to do is moan?

Ok, there's a right place for criticism. The club should embrace feedback, and actively seek it out. That's how it will improve, but some of things I was hearing was quite incredible.

To save you football club you have to move. Is the process, the hurdles that you face when you've jumped through all the hoops worth it? We have fantastic facilities compared to Gay Meadow, but maybe actually, there just seen as today's standard. Toilets should have running water, hand driers. When you think back how the hell did we get away with it? Clubs do have concourse bars (and as we know a lot of them open at half time). I just wonder if nowadays there is too much regulation, red tape.

I'm in a career that basically survives due to it, but do we really have to have procedures where an arena has to adopt a different and foreign practice, which actually creates more problems, not reduce or eliminate them? That those procedures actually hinder and aren't reasonable practicable. Is it the case that maybe there are overzealous jobworths' enforcing a rule book in black and white, when a one size fits all policy doesn't work!

Here we've got a situation when the Football Club if it had it's way would happily introduce a better way of doing things, but has its hands tied by red tape. Is that really right in a democratic and modern society?

It still rankles a lot of people that you have discrepancies like with regards certain park and ride sites being used for the Flower Show and not a Football Match. That on a certain street you can park at one second, but put a scarf round your neck and you're a social leper.

Does life really have to be this complicated, and do we revel in making life complicated by our own actions? Those that hate regulation are the ones that are the first to use it for their own ends if it affects them.

As I keep telling everyone, the new stadium is a great place, can be improved, will be improved, and even now it's better than Gay Meadow. Cut the club some slack, and get back to the business of supporting our team, be patient, try to change your routine if you can. Get your tickets early. Join in. Have fun, and just stop and think for a moment. If we didn't have this stadium here, we wouldn't be here, and we wouldn't have anything to moan about.

Blue and amber always

Ade Plimmer