The Season So Far

06/09/13

It has to be said we have had nowhere near the start that we'd hoped for and expected and we are all really disappointed with that. As a management team we don't like to hide behind excuses but we are very aware that our start has been hampered by constant selection problems brought about by injuries and in some cases player unavailability which have made it difficult to gain any consistency or momentum. However there is light at the end of the tunnel on this front and apart from the injuries to skipper Adam Foulser and young midfielder George Short we expect to have a strong squad for this weekend and hopefully it won't be too long before those two lads can return to training.

In terms of the games so far we were desperately disappointed to begin with a home defeat against Northwood. We just weren't ourselves in this opening game and the game was very flat which maybe suited our opponents who we felt would have been targeting a point. As it happened they pinched all 3 with a late goal. In the 2nd game we travelled to Uxbridge and gave a much improved performance and we felt we were very unlucky not to come away with all 3 points, having had a penalty saved, hit the woodwork and forced a number of good saves from their keeper in the 2nd half. Unfortunately we had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

We targeted two wins over the bank holiday period and started really well with a fantastic 5-1 win at Kettering in front of a large crowd. This was a really strong performance and the lads were on a real high on the way back on the coach as we felt we had kick-started our season. On the Monday we were forced in to making further changes but still felt we had a side capable of picking up another win. After a slightly shaky start we led 1-0 at half-time and felt we would go on and pick up our 2nd win in 3 days. Unfortunately some really poor defending from us in the 2nd half allowed Beaconsfield back in to the game and to be fair in the end they were good value for their 3-1 win.

Last weekend we faced a tough Cirencester side at home in the FA Cup and after a hard-fought but rather uninspiring game we had to settle for a replay after a 1-1 draw which was probably a fair result. On Tuesday night the game was played at a much faster tempo and there was very little between the two sides for the first hour. We then dominated the next 20 mins and felt it was only a matter of time before we took the lead but unfortunately we were not clinical enough in front of goal and were punished with 10 mins to go when Cirencester scored what proved to be the winner. Really disappointing to go out at the first hurdle but as all managers say, "it's time to concentrate on the league"......and of course the FA Trophy where we will be really keen now to have a run this year.

There is a huge amount of belief within the squad and despite our poor start we are confident that a winning run is not far away and although Saturday's trip to Rugby will be a very tough one (against a side we feel are as good as anyone in this league) we need to start this run sooner rather than later and there is no better way to make a statement than to come back with 3 points this weekend.