Mens 2nds v Newark

The start of the reverse fixtures showed how far we have come this season but also showed that there is still much to learn - regular readers of these reports (including it now appears the skipper of Newark - morning Arron!) will know how much that opening 9 - 2 defeat has been a motivator to improve and that this match could be used as a barometer of that improvement. Well we couldn't have made a much better start to the game where, after an early scare when Newark had a Penalty Corner disallowed for a strike that didn't hit the backboard, we seemed to be dealing well with the Newark attack and hitting hard on the break - Richard opening the scoring and when Kyle deflected in a defenders lifted ball surely it couldn't get much better, but it did! - a sweeping move finished with a clinical finish from Jamie and we went into the half time break with a 3-0 lead.
Now this is where the learning lessons start - Newark, not unsurprisingly as a side who've been scoring for fun this season, threw the kitchen sink at us in the 2nd half and we did an AC Milan impression and let a 3 goal lead slip - yes we can say they got a lucky break for the first goal after Lee had made a great save and the ball fell invitingly for Newark to stick in the rebound but the fact is we gave away the ball too cheaply and too often and we let them get a head of steam up - it was only after they'd finally equalised that we passed the ball around and put any sustained pressure on the Newark goal and, but for an excellent save by the Newark keeper, we might have nicked it at the death - but that would in the end have flattered us and a draw was probably a fair result.
So final score Derby 3 - Newark 3 - are we happy having been 3 - 0 up? - no, but would we have taken that before the game, maybe - would we have taken it after the 9-2 defeat - absolutely !
So time for a break over Christmas - P11 L1 D2 W8 - it's not too shabby at this stage - let's see if we can make it even better in the new year!

Morning Will! Great game Saturday, just nicking your match report to do mine! Hope you had a good curry night.

Cheers
Arran, Newark

Agree with the comments made, great game to play in, the 3-0 did flatter us at half time, but we really should have held on to win (Although as Will said, on balance a draw was possibly the correct result).
I was probably as gutted at the end of this game as I was at the end of the 9-2 defeat (then at least there was some relief at not having conceeded double figures!)
We really needed to believe in ourselves as a team this week and have confidence in our abilitity, as individuals, and collectively as a team, to hold onto the ball. We gave it away far to cheaply by resorting to the long drilled pass allowing Newark the opportunity to build pressure with sustained periods of possesion.
We can not afford to do this against quality opposition.
Yes, they did make it difficult for us by pushing extra players forward and changing their formation, but there then should have been extra space in attack for us to exploit if we had managed to keep hold off the ball.
I know we questioned our tatics second half, but Newarks goals came about from a build up of pressure primarily because we failed to keep possession.
Whereas against lower placed opposition recently we have been guilty of starting with too much confidence thus making it more difficult for ourselves, and then having to scrap for a result.
There is a balance to strike here, and hopefully as the season progresses we will have learnt, and will be able to continue our development as a team.
The younger u18 players continue to improve and their influence on the games continues to grow week by week.
This is probably the most pleasing aspect of the season so far.
Promotion is a distinct possibility, but only if we approach the second half of the season with the correct attitude, continuing to challenge ourselves to improve both our individual performances and our contribution to the team's overall performance.
Enjoy the Christmas break everyone.