Back in pre-season I said, to anyone who’d listen, that I felt that we had a strong enough squad to challenge for a top 3 spot and potentially promotion. The fact that our squad just got stronger during the season simply re-enforced my view.

Pre-season was pretty good with the players reacting positively to a more games orientated approach. It’s always a balance – were we as fit as we could have been…no, did we build a better “game sense” platform to operate from…definitely yes. A lot of credit for this needs to go to Al Blewitt.

To my mind the biggest hurdle for the 1st team squad was belief…belief that they were good enough to compete… that the side of the last 3-4 years had had its time! A big part of my job was to try and instil a confidence into the squad… confidence not arrogance… the belief that we could compete with anyone but that we would respect all competitors.

Some Stats… I modelled where I thought we could get to in August 2018 : 76 points total (39 before Christmas and 37 after). As it turned out we achieved 32 points up to Christmas and a whopping 46 after. Indeed, we only dropped 4 points after Christmas. Our form was the best in the league. Added to that we statistically were also the best defence. All the work at training paid off.

This season also saw Josh Witts achieve over 1,000 points for the club. An amazing achievement.

Generally, I think the coaching approach over the season was better balanced and we were fortunate to have Jon McSwiney to patch players up. I am in no doubt that a key contributor to our success was the availability of fit players… although there are always other frustrating reasons why players are not available! Additionally, having Stan as Team Manager contributed greatly to organisation. Equally, the support of TK and Dec as 1st and 2nd team captain’s was superb. Getting two sides out on a weekend is an act of perseverance and patience.

Our preseason match programme gave a decent indication of where we were. We shared the spoils with Wallingford and soundly beat EOD.

The season got off to an interesting start. A great 5 point win to Tadley but at a cost. Whilst I would not dispute the dismissal during that game, the behaviour of the referee after the game was nothing less than shameful. The end result vindicated the Club… but I would be happy not to see that referee again!!

Over the course of the season I would call out a number of performances:

Drifters 37 Didcot 29
We went to Drifters with a very weakened side and we were close to winning this game. In the end we salvaged a 4 try bonus point from being 20 points behind.
Chesham 14 Didcot 17
A fantastic team performance as we ended Chesham’s unbeaten season. One of our best defensive performances and an accuracy in attack that was at its best.
Milton Keynes 0 Didcot 27
A truly professional performance where we dominated our nearest rivals and were completely ruthless in both defence and attack
Didcot 57 Tadley 7
Probably our most complete performance was saved until the last game. Certainly, the best attacking display of the season as we completely dismantled Tadley.

It was great to see a squad grow in confidence and belief. Equally, it was very satisfying for Al and myself to see the systems become embedded in the way we played. We saw a number of players really step up this season – Ant Dell and Frenchy being good examples. Frenchy particularly stepped up from the second team to pretty much make a second row place his. He also showed an aptitude for place kicking against Drifters.

We’ll no doubt celebrate individual performances at the Annual Dinner but the players can all be proud of their contributions to a great season.

So…onwards and upwards as we face out next challenge. The work has already begun with recruiting both coaches and players, new sponsorship programmes and a general push to elevate the club.

As for this coming season, more than ever will need to be unified, to maintain the “Didcot Dog”…Really looking forward to it.

To the players, start working on fitness now that we are into June. Works starts 25th June…See you there!

Finally, just a few words of thanks to Al Blewitt as he leaves the club. He made a big impact on and for the club both on and off the pitch. Good luck mate in your future endeavours. You know you are always welcome at Boundary Park.