Sunday's Coming
This week Mark Lee brings his Blackpool Panthers side to Spotland for round two of our Northern Rail Cup clash. Last week Hornets had too much in the tank for a very useful Blackpool outfit and Lee was philosophical abut the result: " There were plenty of nice touches... but the core skills were lacking. Simple things like carthing and dropping balls cost us dear - and tries. But it was a massive effort from the players who muscled-up and played some decent rugby."
Indeed they did, with much of the damage coming via three ex-Hornets in the shape of Willie Swann and Chis Hough at half back and livewire Liam McGovern at hooker. Indeed, McGovern's versatility with both boot and hand saw him, claim a deserved man of the match award. In the pack, loose forward Danny Barton caught the eye - strong direct running and good awareness in traffic will make him one to watch again this week.
In the analysis of Sunday's result, perfectionist Bobbie Goulding is far from happy. In retrospect, one might suppose that scrambling for an ugly win in difficult surroundings to get the season off the mark would be a good place to build from. But Bobbie expects more...
“A win is a win, but it needed individual brilliance to get us out of it... we are not going forward like we do in training. It’s all in the memory bank, but the players are not bringing it to the game.
“The enthusiasm in training is unbelievable but come Sunday the enthusiasm isn’t there. If we had sparked up against Panthers and played like we can do we could have put a big score on. What’s getting on my nerves is we know it’s there, but we are not taking it onto the field.
“The team has a game plan. We’re sticking to it and scoring points, but then we give cheap ball away and concede penalties when we have the ball. It’s something we need to get out of our system.
But not all is doom and gloom - there were some positives to take from last week: not least the partnership of Braddish and Butterworth at half backl; David Cunliffe's tackling; Lee Hansen's no-nonsense go-forward.
On the downside, Richard Varkulis' suspected broken hand could keep him on the sidelines until the league programme starts. he was due to see a specialist this week for a detailed assessment on the injury.
What is certain about Sunday is that a win is paramount if we are to gain an advantage in our Northern Rail group. With Swinton already almost out of sight (courtesy of an almighty stiffing of Oldham last week), the last qualification spot - and the route to more revenue-raising ties - is up for grabs.
With Hornets yet to play a competitive game at Spotland, it's imperative that we set our stall out for the coming year. Blackpool shoed last week that they have the graft and the craft to have a very good season in NL2 - and provide attractive opposition.
So get down to Spotland on Sunday and get behind the lads - we can't complain about lack of atmosphere this week if we don't create any! See you Sunday - it will be a cracker.
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