Alright, this is rather tongue in cheek but on a day of few if any positives, I thought it best to start on a lighter note. Indeed I have been unsure whether to publish a report at all.

The early lead after 3 minutes through a penalty was soon to turn into an early consolation as the likely league champions soon took complete control. Only a second half penalty provided any further relief.

I have no intention of giving a detailed report but instead will praise all those who turned out to support the club on a day when we were again unable to assemble enough to fill two sides from over 60 players on our books. Special thanks go to those Reserve team players who were hastily switched from their cancelled match to bolster the 1st X1.

Also to Paul Norris who made a late dash to take up an unaccustomed position between the posts.

Despite the odds being stacked against us and the way the afternoon unfolded, I cannot fault the effort, discipline and commitment shown by all concerned. We actually played some decent stuff at times and could have scored 4 or 5 ourselves, it was certainly not a performance to be ashamed of. It may seem futile but the final score was rather harsh.

The rules of the league are that if a club cannot fulfil its obligations on a match day, it is the lower placed side that must be sacrificed. It is not necessarily the team sacrificed that is the problem, more a lack of support from members generally.

If you are not aware failure to fulfil a fixture costs our club anything between £130 to £200 in fines, loss of match subs and pitch costs. We have cancelled 3 matches this season. Such costs are not sustainable. Plus, of course, we lose the points.

One blessing is that the Reserves have just 2 remaining fixtures this season. I can only ask that all players give Matt & Rob your support for those two weekends in particular and then to the 1st X1 for the rest of the season as they strive to pull away from the relegation zone.

Matt & Rob both deserve such support, this has been a difficult season and they have worked tirelessly to put out teams. They can only pick from those who make themselves available.

We are not alone in having such problems but we are the only ones who can address them in the short and longer term.

I hope we do not have cause to cancel any further matches.

Cliff