AS a football manager you get used to spending time on the road and being away from home.

We travel the day before most away games and with pre-season training camps and other bits and pieces through the season we do seem to spend a lot of time in hotels.

With that in mind it might have sounded funny to some people that we went away this week to Bisham Abbey for a couple of days, especially to somewhere relatively local.

However it is something we have done before and always found beneficial for many reasons.

Firstly you are assured of a good surface to train on.

The pitches are second to none and the facilities are excellent.

But perhaps more importantly it gave us a chance to get the players away together without any distractions or other engagements so we could really focus everyone on the standards and culture we expect at the club.

That’s not always possible when people are rushing around after training or dealing with the million and one distractions that modern life can throw at you.

Away from all that, we have been able to spend a proper amount of time talking, planning and evaluating what we want to achieve as a group this season.

The emphasis has been on togetherness and trust – two key elements in any successful squad.

It has been great to talk to the players, for everyone to be honest and open, and I think some great things have come out of the last few days.

It was good timing because we are about to go into the busiest period of the season, starting with two home games in four days against Coventry and Gillingham.

We start that familiar Saturday/Tuesday routine again and if you can gather a bit of momentum going into Christmas then it can carry you a long, long way.

If we are to kick that off with a win then we are going to have to start a lot more sharply than we did against Coventry the other week, or Shrewsbury last Saturday.

How you begin sets the tone for the whole game and we cannot afford any more sluggish starts.

We have asked the players to get on the front foot, be nice and positive, and give the fans something to really get behind from the first whistle.

It’s a big afternoon for us so come along and cheer us on.

LOSING Liam Sercombe for three or four months is a big blow because he has been an integral part of the success we have enjoyed here.

It’s not just the energy he gives you in midfield, or the goals he contributes, but also his versatility because he has been excellent in a variety of roles this season.

He picked up a knee injury in a strong tackle on Saturday – strong but fair, I hasten to add – and will now work with our medical team to get back as quickly as possible.

No doubt he will be a bit down this week, but he is a terrific pro and I’m sure will do everything he can to get back ahead of schedule.