AFTER Louis Thompson’s winner against Sheffield United gave Town some play-off optimism a couple of week ago, most of that hope has started to drain away over the past week.

With five games left until the end of the season, Town sit seven points from the play-off places, but one point from dropping down to 11th.

As the 2013-14 campaign starts to wind down, it’s difficult to say whether it’s been a successful campaign or not.

Some would argue that, due to the state of the club at the start of the season, it’s been a successful year, as we haven’t once flirted with the idea of relegation.

Others would point to our form in 2014 and how the club were two points from the top six on January 11, but didn’t build on that decent start.

At the half way stage, Town had collected 34 points – since then we’ve picked up 23.

I understand both sides of the argument, but at this moment I feel more frustrated than content at the club’s current position.

Don’t get me wrong. The fact we’ve haven’t left the top half of the table all season is a good achievement for a club that started the season without a manager and just one striker fit for selection.

Thankfully, the club sorted itself out, we appointed Mark Cooper and looked like a team full of confidence, especially at the County Ground.

My frustration comes from our inability to push on in 2014.

Home performances against Oldham, Colchester, Crawley and Milton Keynes were not up to the standard set earlier in the season.

Thankfully chairman Lee Power spotted in the home game against Wolves that we needed another centre back, and brought in Jack Stephens.

But by this point a top six spot looked too far away.

With the current owner still setting out his plans for the club and putting his ideas in place, it’s unfair to call for his or the manager’s head.

The big test for Power and Cooper will be the start of next season, when the side has got rid of the last remnants of the Paolo Di Canio era and it is 100 per cent their team.

Old adversaries Brentford arrive at the County Ground this Saturday.

After an important win during the week, Mark Warburton’s side now look odds-on favourites to earn automatic promotion to the Championship alongside Wolves.

For Town to achieve a top six spot we have to win our remaining five games and hope Peterborough slip up along the way.

But with the Bees in good form it will be a tough ask for Cooper’s side.