AOE 29 Essington 20

'How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser'

When I took the time to consider yesterday's game, the ups and downs, the issues of the second half, the struggles of leadership and the strengths of friendship. I thought of the Lou Holtz quote and realised that this new Aston, forged from the experience of yesterday and the promise of tomorrow has become a team to be reckoned with.

Unbeaten at home in over 12 months Aston began uncharacteristically quickly with a misplaced pass, pounced upon by Craig Williams, breaking the opposition line at pace and sprinting 25 metres before touching down under the posts. A conversion from Ethan Channer put Aston in unfamiliar early dominance, however Aston's own ambition in the resulting passage of play led to our own missed pass and a score of 7-7.

Aston then proceeded to dominate possession in the first half but failed to get enough of a rhythm to turn that possession into points. A penalty for both sides and the first half appeared to be heading for a stalemate. Up stepped Julius Hunt whose strength, determination and turn of pace finished off a great passage of play in which the handling from both forwards and backs was superb. A reminder of the potential of this side.

The second half and thoughts of extending the lead were quickly wiped out by a period of dominance by Essington helped in no small part by the boot of the Essington 10 who, on more then one occasion, frustrated Aston with kicking from 22 to 22.

Down 20-17 Aston of old would have allowed the game to run away from them in an avalanche of finger pointing and blame, but as I've mentioned earlier this is a different Aston. A motivational speech from Jerome and powerful performances from every player across the pitch particularly from Andy Coveney in the pack. The substitutes added the much needed legs after strong first half performances from Darren Gardner, Raymond Brown, Tom Dartnell and Alex Henley.

The last 20 minutes of the game were all Aston. A typical powerful drive from the Aston pack following sustained pressure and a brave defensive performance from Essington allowed coach Nick Whiteman to power through a tiring Essington line to put Aston level, the conversion put Aston in front and from that moment they were never threatened. Powerful running from the Aston backs threatened Essington time and time again. The powerful boot of their 10 rescuing them time and time again only to find Chevel Taylor , Kieran and Keaton Jaggers running back at them.

The continuous pressure finally paid off when Julius Hunt broke through again and after breaking some desperate last ditch tackles stretched to slam the ball over the line. Ian Lyon's reliable left boot did the rest and at 29-20 a winning bonus point for Aston.

A great match for the spectators and proof of the resurgence at Aston who now lie 4th with a game in hand. Next week - Five Ways.