I came away from today's match with a sense of positivity and pride which may seem a strange thing to say after a 6-0 defeat but, as in so many cases this season, the score does not tell the story of the game.

We went behind early on to a strong header from a good corner cross which, it has to be said, should have been prevented by stronger marking. Despite being pinned back for the first ten minutes of the match we were kept in the game by some very good goalkeeping. We then started to play some very good football which displayed belief and understanding of what Pat and Paul had been describing in the pre-match brief. Our passing and movement off the ball improved as the first half progressed and we applied much more pressure after the first twenty minutes. Towards the end of the half we were beginning to control the game and again some great goalkeeping kept things very much alive and all of us on the sidelines anticipated a well-deserved goal.

Unfortunately, some loose and panicky play at the back allowed Newbury to add to the score line in the 28th minute.

In the second half we fell back into old ways a little and were flat footed going forward and coming back and guilty of ball watching at times. That said, the effort and energy levels were tremendous from a depleted squad who were asked to give their all. Newbury had a couple of exceptional players who were quick and nimble and we allowed them to dictate possession but throughout we still tried to take the game to them.

We suffered lapses of concentration and the fundamental difference between the two teams was fluidity and movement. As I have said before, if we can hold the ball and look to make a pass and move to create options for the man with the ball we will concede possession less and control the play of the game. But it is coming together! We are a young, small and relatively new squad. I was particularly impressed by the way the team responded to the coaches and by the variety of really good questions asked at the pre-match brief which showed a mature understanding of what was being shown to them and asked of them.

Congratulations on the shared Man of the Match award: some great midfield play and vision from Daniel and staunch defending from Louis P. I think the quality of some of the saves from Andy deserves a mention.

Well done to all of the lads for effort and for displaying terrific and prolonged periods of challenging play. It will all come good and the match was enjoyed by all of us on the sidelines. There were some very complimentary remarks for us from the opposition support. Talk among yourselves about what went really well and what can be improved and take your conclusions to Stratton!!

Philip Saugman