It took the newly-promoted Blues eight games to record their first win in Vanarama North, although it was worth waiting for. It was achieved at the expense of Nuneaton Town who had topped the table early-on after winning their first four matches.
Curzon have stuttered, drawing and losing games. In many ways it has been a credible start for a club playing at National League level for the first time. But Flanagan demands better and insists that his ultimate aim remains the play-offs.
“We’ve conceded too many goals. That’s the crux of our problem,” he explained. “Going into the Nuneaton game we had scored more than them but they were near the top and we were near the bottom because, defensively, they were much better than us.
“Individually, the players have done okay but we’re not defending well as a unit. Collectively we’ve left a lot to be desired and that’s really strange because we’ve been so strong over the last two seasons and kept a lot of clean sheets.
“Also, I’ve got to say that the strikers are much better in Vanarama North than the Evo-stik Premier. The whole thing is stronger. I can’t say we’ve played a bad team yet.”
Flanagan has not ruled out new signings to make good his side’s defensive frailties. Almost two months into the campaign, players are becoming available and he is ready to seek out talent to bolster the back line.
However, he also points to the fact that Curzon are novices at National League level. The players, the clubs and grounds are uncharted territory for a side that had never played higher than the Evo-stik NPL first division north little more than a year ago.
Flanagan said: “We don’t really know what we’re up against and we have to go from game to game. We don’t know anything about the conditions when we travel away. We’re at Worcester this weekend and I’ve never been to the place before.
“I know we surprised a lot of people by getting promoted last season, but I’m sticking to my aim of getting into the play-offs because if you don’t have high expectations players can take their foot off the gas. You’ve got to keep going full pelt.
“There might be a bit of blind faith there but we can achieve it if we pick up new players. We’re improving game by game. We’ve played eight and lost three. It’s not a nightmare.”