Targetman Tubbs is relishing life in the Conference South

Throw in the brace he scored against Hitchin Town in City's Southern League Challenge Cup curtain-raiser to their debut Nationwide campaign, and it's 11 from 11 for the on-song 22-year-old.

Tubbs' goals have helped propel the Whites to joint top of the table - Histon, who are the only side to have taken three points off them this term - currently top the pile on goal difference.

Despite missing almost a dozen fixtures near the end of their promotion-winning season due to a knee operation, Tubbs still closed as Salisbury's top marksman last term with 29 goals.

He says he is pleased he has continued scoring freely at the higher level and delighted to have played his part in the side's excellent start to the new campaign.

"It's going really well," he told the club's website.

"I know five of them have been penalties, but they all count! They're all goals!"

Tubbs was quick to praise the efforts of his team mates and in particular strike partner Paul Sales.

"It doesn't matter who we play against - Salesy is going to win headers in the air all day long, and because we link so well together I just feed off him and try to bring others into play."

Tubbs added: "We've come out of the blocks absolutely flying. It's been an unbelievable start for us.

"No-one really knew what to expect coming into a better league and a better standard, but we're all just enjoying it at the moment."

Tubbs' first league goal came in the opener against pre-season favourites Lewes.

He converted a 64th minute spot-kick and only a late equaliser denied the Conference South newcomers a deserved opening day victory.

"It was 1-1 in the end - I thought that was a great performance which got us off on the right foot. But I don't think we have put in a bad performance so far.

"Even in the Eastleigh game when we went down to nine men, we still ground out a result which was unbelievable really."

Tubbs was spot on again in the 5-1 win against Thurrock and bagged two away at Histon, before scoring the only goal of the game in City's Friday night encounter with Welling United.

A brace of first half penalties at Yeading set them on the road to a 3-1 success, before the ill-tempered derby with Eastleigh saw the striker dismissed along with Tommy Widdrington after receiving two yellow cards apiece.

Tubbs then bagged both goals against Bedford Town last week and will be looking to push on from his pre-season target of ten goals when the Whites host Bishop's Stortford on Saturday.

"Before we started, just getting into double figures was my target for the season and then to just press on from there," he explained.

"Having got 11 from 11 games I want to get into the 20s now and see where it goes from there."

Tubbs has, naturally, become hugely popular with City's fans and is a lively character in the dressing room.

However, on the pitch he accepts he can sometimes fall foul of match officials, as his recent dismissal against Eastleigh proved.

"I know I've had some stupid bookings really," he said.

"At Bedford I thought the ball was out. I was on the goal line and it's bounced over my head, so I've swung my arm at it to knock it back to the keeper. The ref's seen it as a yellow card and I've said to the linesman to help me out, but I still got a card."

Of his striker, manager Nick Holmes said this week: "He has to be on fire and involved in everything - it's a fine line and sometimes he steps the other side of that.

"But it's no good trying to stop that because if you do, you also stop the good things. You don't want to see him lose his impetuousness."

Both Tubbs and Widdrington will miss next week's FA Cup tie at VTFC through suspension, so Tubbs is keeping his fingers crossed City can progress to the next stage of the competition without him.

"I just hope the lads grind out a result and get us into the next round."

Tubbs is scoring for fun at a time when there is increased pressure on him and Sales to deliver for the Whites.

Appearances by fellow strikers Robbie Matthews and summer signing Declan McGregor have been limited thus far, but despite the competition for places, Tubbs insists City's is a happy camp Immediately after last season's Southern League success, the club's management team rang the changes - moving on a number of players before bringing in a host of new faces as they prepared for their first stab at Conference South football.

How did that affect the dressing room?

"The dressing room is exactly the same as before," explained the striker, who is now approaching his third anniversary with the club.

"At the start of pre-season you looked around the dressing room and you wouldn't recognise anyone with the amount of triallists we had.

"But Nick, Tommy, Barry and Mitch selected the people who they thought were good enough to help make a difference. They've come into the squad and it's been really good."

City's pace in the final third of the pitch - especially the runs of Tubbs and Luke Prince - has impressed supporters and has caught out some static defences, which may account for the high number of penalties awarded.

Five of Tubbs' goals have come from the spot - but is he concerned that City might have had their season's quota of penalties in the opening ten games?

"Yes. It's a strange one. They all count, they're still goals and they say penalties win games and luckily I practice them every training session."

Despite the club's tremendous start, Tubbs is adamant no-one in the City camp is taking anything for granted.

There is no talk yet of them completing back-to-back promotions.

"It's gone really well. We've come across some good teams and we're delighted with the results. But we're not thinking about promotion. We're all keeping our feet on the ground and hopefully we'll keep grafting out results."

If his early season form is anything to go by, Tubbsy's goals will continue to be central to those results.