Comment by Jules Hornbrook

WE didn't see the best of Calvin Zola last season, did we?

Although he racked up a few decent strikes following his £200,000 move from Tranmere last summer, the price tag was starting to weigh heavy around his long neck.

One of Steve Holland's acquisitions, it was easy to blame the former gaffer and accuse him of reckless and ineffective spending.

Zola was one of many players who did not deliver during a very disappointing season that ended with relegation.

His early haul of goals this campaign is both refreshing and very welcome. Scoring away from home is especially reassuring because The Alex have struggled on the road in recent years.

Zola, however, has scored four goals in three games and looks a constant threat – home and away.

A confident forward usually carries on scoring goals – it rubs off on other players – so we must make the most of this purple patch.

It's always good to see a stand-out striker, especially one at the top of the division's scoring charts.

But it's a double-edged sword.

We need to spread the goals and avoid becoming too reliant on one man's efforts.

Great if we could guarantee getting 50 games out of him, but that rarely happens in football.

Injuries inevitably kick in during the season and a prolonged spell without the key striker could damage any promotion hopes.

That remains the target for most, a top-three finish, or the play-offs at worst.

Anything else would be seen as failure. This is NOT a season for consolidation. There can be no excuses this time.

So for the current side to be taken seriously we need to see others strikers move up a gear, plus the midfield and defence chipping in with goals.

Starting tomorrow would be good, as the opening-day defeat against Dagenham needs to be buried as soon as possible.

The crowd that day wasn't particularly hostile, but the players need to realise that the fans will not tolerate mediocrity. The same goes for the manager.

The halcyon days of the Championship are gone, but with our substantial infrastructure (for a supposedly small club) there is a feeling that we our club should not be in the basement division.

We all accept that teams often drop down a league, but I don't think suggesting that Crewe Alexandra is a League One club is unrealistic.

The pieces are there, we just need the right man to assemble them.

I still feel that Gudjon Thordarson is that man, and that he will be the catalyst that turns average players into winners, hopefully resulting in promotion next May.

If recent results are repeated over the next few weeks he'll surely win over a few doubters.

And the whole club needs success on the pitch, for many reasons.

Beat Hereford on Saturday and, lthough it's early doors, I think we can consider the Alex in the promotion mix.

That, you'd hope, will put bums on seats and restore the feel-good factor to Gresty Road.

Other Crewe Alex stories online today:

Button recall hits plans

Ada insists players want to make amends

Vital statistics - Hereford United

Match odds - Hereford United