Not the best performance ever on Sunday but not bad for a first game. I think we can safely say that fitness was an issue. Not a criticism of anyone (considering I was the first one to need to come off). I know it was hot and the ground was hard, but after the first 10 minutes of the second half neither team looked like scoring a goal. Sadly they'd nabbed 2 before that which left us behind, and the only reason two of our players got cramp was because they were the two doing the majority of the chasing around (with the exception of crabbeman who just didn't get cramp cos he's a fit mutha).

But fitness is never a very good excuse for losing a match. I hold my hands up for getting blisters (stupid) cos I still had long studs in my boots for the first match of the season and just couldn't run on them anymore, but will be working hard on my fitness on Wednesdays and any other opportunities. I know some of the Burghclere boys have mucho games coming up so hopefully they'll be super match fit if not totally broken down.

As for our actual play I thought we showed some good stuff and the midfield and defence looked good up against some reasonably tricksy players, all those twists and turns never really paid off for them. We did look poor though when they attacked us in the air - and not cos they were better in the air, but because when the ball went up we all tended to watch it and not see where their players were peeling off to, so inevitably when the ball bounced it was 50% likely to fall to one of them. 3 of their 4 goals (including the deflection) were down to that. I think one on one our defence handled them well.

Going forward I think John Sills was a revelation and caused them all sorts of problems and Beeny supplied numerous quality balls which turned their defence around. Crabbeman and Grundy supported the attack well (which Grundy paid for with no calf muscle left) and we scored some good goals.

Don't think we should fear them when we play them again, I also had a few thoughts on how we can counter their 3-5-1 formation which I'll run by Smurfy and see what he thinks.

All in all not a bad performance and only a one goal defecit. Slightly worrying 6-0 result for Newthatch, we'll just have to take each game as it comes til we know who's who...

C'mon England for Wednesday, not aroudn Sunday so good look against Norreys McWerter.