Fisrt game of the new era.

The game was the first of many pre-season games arranged at very short notice, due to the surprising departure of the manager.

The lads are in need of practise on the new pitch size, so I took the fixture not knowing anything about the opposition. As it turned out, they we're excellent hosts who made us feel welcome, and helped us realise how far we have got to go.

Doverhouse will be playing 2 divisions below us, they are a new side to the league and after seeing them play I don't have any doubt that they won't be there for long. Well disciplined, energetic and sharp. The division they are in doesn't reflect their ability or potential.
They've continued to train and have played a good number of friendlies.

All this added together meant for a tough afternoon, but not without a lot of positives.

We got completely over run in the first five minutes, mainly due to us trying a formation which left us exposed, in certain positions having had zero time to talk about the way we were going to play. It is also the case that I'm new to this 9 a side business, and I will make mistakes. We're all learning, however today was a day where I expected a few things not to work, as that's where the learning really begins.

So we were Lambs to the slaughter, however I was happy to see what we had to bounce back with. I deliberately left the boys to figure out their positional sense and where the trouble was coming from, as me shouting to many instructions would just add fuel to the fire. They reacted really well. Our more senior players took a bit more control and we started winning battles all over the pitch. We were caught one more time just before the 20 minute break, but things were looking much more stable generally, we had made a change during the first half which settled us down with a bit more experience.

We came in at the break 3-0 down, but a lot was starting to go our way. We had a constructive chat and a change of formation, which the boys took on brilliantly. We carried on in great fashion, and Yusef scored with a brilliant header from Joe's excellent corner. The boys carried on applying pressure and we generally looked like getting another, with some good saves being forced.

As the situation dictates I made more changes, removing a couple more senior players to take us up to the second break The tide turned. We conceded three late goals in very quick succession, but no one is to blame as changes will bring problems of all descriptions and they're all challenges were going to have to face up to. Unfortunately the weather turned really bad and the game had to be called off with a third to go.

All in all it was a great opportunity to get the boys out there and find out what the new pitch size is all about. Team places and positions are all up for grabs right up to the start of the season and beyond, so I would encourage all the boys to try their very hardest at all times. I know not everything goes right all the time, and there will be times where it's the boys reaction to making a mistake that impresses me most. The most positve aspect was that no heads dropped, and no fingers pointed. We are a team in every sense.

Well done boys, onwards and upwards.

Man of the match: Reece, took to his position like a duck to water. Worked tirelessly, great tackles and passed well.