“I NEVER try to think like that. I never, ever, ever try to think like that.”

Mark Marshall may be loving every minute of City’s impressive campaign but don’t ask the winger if he feels he has finally cracked it at Valley Parade.

Marshall’s 100 per cent run in League One ended on Tuesday but his lively appearance from the bench for the final half hour is sure to give Stuart McCall food for thought ahead of the Chesterfield trip.

Rebuilding a reputation that was knocked during his testing first year at the club, Marshall’s positive attitude has embodied the feel-good vibe within the squad.

But he refuses to allow complacency to creep in to his mind.

“I’ve got to keep performing,” said Marshall. “I’ve got to be relevant.

“Each game I play, I have to make an impact. I don’t just want to be a name on a team sheet.

“Every time the gaffer picks me, I want to make sure I’m either making an assist or scoring a goal.

“I want to be one of the best players on the pitch. It’s not exactly pressure, it’s a feeling that I expect myself to do that and I thrive off it.

“I know when I’ve done well or not. Any person, if they are being honest with themselves, should know whether they had a good game or could have done more.

“Whenever I get the opportunity, whether it’s from the start of coming off the bench, the main thing is that I produce something for the team.”

McCall even tried Marshall in a central striking role at Bolton last week, utilising his pace to ruffle Phil Parkinson’s centre halves. It might have paid off if referee Mark Heywood had given a penalty for Marshall’s fall between two defenders rather than booking him.

Marshall added: “I’m happy to play wherever I can help the team. It doesn’t matter because we are all working together for one objective.

“Whatever the gaffer wants, I want that too. He wants three points the same as me; he wants to get promoted and so do I.”

City head for the Proact as League One’s only undefeated side ten games into the season. They are also boosted by returning to winning ways in midweek following the run of five straight draws.

Marshall is not viewing them as rivals to Arsenal’s “Invincibles” just yet – but can see the progress.

He said: “If someone gave us this position at the start of the season, you’d say ‘thanks very much’.

“It’s not just about a source of pride but shows we are going forward every game.

“It’s not like we’ve been sitting down afterwards and thinking ‘oh no, we’ve only drawn’. We’re trying to build and each time we’re getting another point.

“We don’t look like we’re going to get beaten by anybody. I can’t think of one game so far when we’ve come out of it thinking ‘we were lucky to get away with that’.

“We’re going to places like Millwall and Bolton and leaving with a point. But we’ve not scrambled to do that.

“Some games we’ve dominated and should have got more.

“If anything, we’ve come off the pitch from some of those draws knowing it should have been more.

“We want to get to the average of two points per game.

“Don’t think we’re going to go through the season unbeaten. I’m not going to say that will happen.

“But if we can keep picking up one point here, three there then it keeps up that two-point average. That would hopefully get us to where we all want to be.

“I feel I’m part of something special happening at the club this year and we can only see where it goes.”