"What a difference a week makes. Only seven days since the Great Macclesfield Fiasco came an hour of outstanding rugby with pride and confidence restored in a performance that bore the hallmark of players with a point to prove.

This week, not even the jerseys were the same, as we were compelled, by a hypothetical colour clash, to play in a new change strip of dayglo lemon.

How our usual black and amber might have clashed with the white of the opposition required some imagination, but the new strip is testimony to the bargains available to out of season shirt purchasers who are unconcerned with sartorial elegance.

Despite slipping out of the national leagues at the first opportunity, Longton did enough in our two encounters last season to eliminate any false confidence that they would be a pushover from lower down the food chain. Indeed, the final quarter indicated what they might have been capable of against less resolute opposition.

The first half, played into a stiff breeze, was one of the most competent home displays for some time.

The control exerted by sustained possession restored confidence that something had been achieved over the summer, and the second try, direct from the kick off, through a series of contrasting phases, illustrated exactly the manner in which we seek to play.

Appropriately finished by Duncan Green, who had an outstanding game throughout, it was as good as score as any seen at Mint Bridge for a while.

Most notable was the manifest desire to take the ball to the opposition, and challenge their defence in a variety of areas, coupled with aggressive defence that consistently met Longton in their own territory, and made them look distinctly ordinary in a way that last week's spectators could empathise with.

We discovered in the massacre at Macclesfield that all teams can look poor going backwards, and Longton were certainly no exception. There were some captivating individual displays.

Phil Graham looks a real thoroughbred in attack and defence, and has the unusual ability in the current context of remaining injury free.

Dan Stephens had his most assured game to date, creating space that Jon Ladell and Simon Mulholland thrived on. Dan Bowman was a colossus up front, and provided an inspiration to which all the mono digitally numbered shirts eagerly responded.

At 34 - 0 with half an hour remaining, expectations of a rout were not unrealistic. The game changed its complexion in the final quarter as we lost the capacity to control possession, and allowed Longton to establish themselves.

The two late scores may have been nothing more than a consolation, but both came from Kendal errors, and serve as a warning that once momentum is lost, it is very difficult to restore it.

There is no doubt that both the result, and, more importantly, the manner of it, were essential to restore confidence throughout the club.

It is now important to maintain momentum and put together a sequence of sound performances - and no less crucial to achieve some league points along the way. Cleckheaton is a watershed next week.

Maybe we should stick to the lucky dayglo jerseys.