Marlborough United 3–1 Wigston FC: Whitlock is winning

Leo Whitlock has a way of making a 3-1 win look like a mathematical certainty. It was a proper performance. Marlborough United didn't just beat Wigston FC: they dismantled them with a quiet, boring efficiency. Whitlock has the lads playing with a level of discipline that is almost offensive to watch.

There was a moment in the second half where a Wigston midfielder looked genuinely confused about where the space had gone. That is the Whitlock effect. He does not rely on flashes of brilliance or fancy shapes. He just ensures his players are exactly where they are supposed to be, usually right in the way of the opposition.

It is a far cry from the chaos of previous seasons. The football is honest. It is effective. It is the kind of management that leaves the opposing coach looking at his clipboard as if the ink has suddenly vanished.

There is no time to celebrate. The next game brings another set of problems to solve. Most managers would be dreaming of a holiday, but Whitlock will probably spend the evening obsessing over a misplaced pass in the twenty-second minute. He is a strange man, but he is winning.