Third placed Quakers defeated previously unbeaten league leaders Blyth by 2-1 on Monday after being a goal behind, and Gray said that the performance is a benchmark.

“Blyth are a very, very good team, and you can understand why they have started the season so well.

“The game was a benchmark for us, in terms of how we have progressed since last season. We have arrived in this division. Monday’s performance is now the standard I expect over the rest of the season. There is no point in beating Blyth, and then losing the next game on Saturday. The players must continue to work very hard, as they have done in our first six matches.

“I thought the Blyth game was a very, very open game, which could have gone either way. Both keepers made big saves, and both defences had to work equally as hard.

“To travel for eight hours on a bus on Saturday, then put in a match winning performance against a team that was previously unbeaten, says a lot for the players.

“We wanted to get off to a good start, and we’ve achieved that. There have been some tough places to go to, and over the weekend we’ve taken six points. The players have set their standards now.”

MG was greatly encouraged by a crowd of 1,767.

“What our fans bring to the club is phenomenal. The fans are so vocal, it’s one of the reasons why players want to come here. It’s a Football League club.”