Defender John Dempster is pleased with how preparations are going ahead of our Sky Bet League Two match at Torquay United this weekend.
Our side, who currently sit in seventh position, are set to make the gruelling 245-mile trek to Torquay tomorrow, before staying overnight in the English Riviera.
Nevertheless, Dempster insists that long journeys are just âpart and parcelâ of the game.
He said: âWeâre fortunate that we have got a chairman willing to put us up in a decent hotel, a good bus to travel down on, so there are no excuses on our behalf.
âThe coach journey isnât exciting as you might think. Itâs a bit of a âchill outâ journey, where you can get your feet up and relax.Â
âGenerally, journeys go pretty quick. Thereâs a poker school that goes on, one or two of the lads tend to listen to music and some of us just read a book.â
The clash at Plainmoor promises to be an intriguing affair, as Alan Knillâs Torquay side have won just one of their five matches on home soil so far this term.
By contrast, our team have registered 10 points from their last four away trips, and havenât lost away from home in league action since the opening day of the campaign.
âSo far this season, weâve been half-decent on the road and weâll look to continue that,â said Dempster.
âTorquay is a tough place to go, so a point wouldnât be a bad result, but we want to go there and try to collect all three.
âTorquay know the majority of clubs they play have either had a long journey, or stayed overnight in a hotel, so theyâll probably try and use that to their advantage.â
On assessing our season so far, which has seen us win five of our first 11 matches in Sky Bet League Two, the 30-year-old added: âItâs been very positive, but weâve got to remember where weâve come from.
âWe were a Conference (Premier) side last year and there are a lot of decent ex-Football League clubs, still trying their best to get out of that league.
âWeâve achieved that goal and are now trying to establish ourselves at a higher level.Â
âI think that weâve done well over the period of time weâve been back in the Football League, but weâre looking to âkick onâ again now.
âWeâve had a couple of disappointing performances at home against Hartlepool United and Bristol Rovers, so itâs important that we bounce back and get to standards that we set earlier in the season.â