Didcot (with help from Reading , Isis and Dave “the turncoat” Everett ) certainly made this a sterner test than our last match and I was satisfied with our overall performance in a 6 – 4 victory.  Unlike our last match we started the match with our game heads on and didn’t hand our opponents the lead.  Again, we made a few tactical tweaks as the game unfolded.  It is fantastic that we have a plan B and proves that we’re developing as a team.

Positives from the match….

· Before the match I gave certain players tasks / roles to perform and all of these were either met or exceeded.  I’ll be more demanding next time!

· Again, we dominated the post area and forced the opposition into 1 shot attacks and recycled the ball magnificently ourselves for multiple shot attacks.

· We were able to modify our game plan as the game progressed, sometimes without my intervention – which is great and means we’re learning to recognise when things aren’t working and what is required to counter the tactics of our opponents.

· It was great to hear the encouragement we gave each other throughout the match.

Things to work on / think about……

• The calling at the start of the match was very quiet, please make sure everyone can hear you next match.
• Our runners need to work more as a pair and stretch their defenders further apart to deny them the opportunity to cover each other.
• We need to be more confident in our abilities in front of goal, if there is an opportunity to shoot – then shoot, don’t pass!
• Again, our conversion ratio for running in shots was poor.  In practice we’re fine and scoring for fun, but put us under a bit of pressure and we seem to go to pieces.
• Unlike our last match we did not pressure our opponents as they tried to move the ball out of defence; therefore we put our own defence under pressure.

My player of the match was Jim.