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After a weekend without a match I think everyone was itching to get back to playing on Sunday. From the result, and equally important to me the performance, it-s safe to say that it-s good to be back! I for one hate not having a match on a Sunday, although this time around I didn-t mind as much as it meant I was able to rest a couple of aches and pains picked up from previous matches.

It was back to the league for us, having last played in the Senior Cup. As each league game comes I think as a team we are not only growing in confidence but also playing with a purpose in mind. Whether we win the league or not come the end of the season, I feel it is important for us to play with that ambition in mind-it gives us more determination to go out and win, and most noticeably we play with togetherness, looking like a team. The more we can do that the greater chances we-ll have of success.

Our opposition on Sunday, The Beehive, are no pushovers. While they may not be the strongest team in the division (which team that is remains to be seen...) they are a strong enough team to make the game on Sunday a big test for us. They have 3 or 4 really good players, that if allowed can cause damage to any team in our division. So it is a sign of our quality that we were able to win, playing some great football at times, and generally keeping their betters players quiet.

I think our most noticeable win of the season so far was the 1-0 beating of Riverside Aquarius, simply because we-ve struggled against them in past seasons, especially away from home. We won that game with hard work, and a bit of luck too. It wasn-t our most convincing win. Sunday-s game on the other hand was our most complete performance of the season so far. We controlled the majority of the game and looked very solid all over the pitch. Each player had a near faultless game. I saw players giving their all, and even some players adding a new dimension to their game. Rob in particular played in a way I-ve never seen from him before. Last ditch blocks, crunching tackles and winning headers are what I saw from him the whole match. The same heart and sheer determination to not let the opposition in on goal was seen all over the pitch, it was a real team effort.

I think we-d all agree that Rob is a top guy and one of the most quiet people you-ll ever meet. So to see that side of his game left me very impressed. Added to that his use of the ball going forward; making the simple pass to more advanced players while maintaining his discipline as the holding midfielder, and it-s easy to see why he was voted as Man of the Match. He-s having an amazing season, and to be fair that is true of a lot of ours players.

I thought the way Grant left their number 14 (a player singled out as being very attack-minded and skilful on the ball) frustrated was a massive testament to his work rate and ability down that right side, particularly as Grant found himself getting forward just as much as normal. The biggest sign of a job very well done by Grant was the fact that in the second half their number 14 got moved inside, and was then pretty much out of the match. Their biggest threat was hardly in the match...

Mark Howard deserves much credit for what he brings to the team in a more advanced role. I have told him to his face that it is not a coincidence that in the matches he plays in midfield we have dominated the match, and scored lots of goals as a result. As I-ve already mentioned, I can-t fault the defensive side of our game on Sunday, and many players gave a level of commitment that I haven-t seen before, but having someone of Mark-s ability playing in that space between midfield and attack makes a massive difference to the overall balance of the game. He holds the ball well, knows when to pass it, and has the ability to set up genuine goal scoring opportunities. If we have that in our game then the opposition are always going to be more limited in their attacking threat, because we-re giving them much more to think about in their own half. Just look at what happened on Sunday. The Beehive were 3-0 down at half time and they didn-t know what-d hit them. The game was all but won.

Our second goal was an example of just how well we are capable of playing. When a move comes together like that it is a great feeling. I genuinely get just as much satisfaction in set up a chance for a team mate as I do scoring myself, but when it is combined in a move like that of our second goal it makes me very proud. Moments like that are what I play football for (some trophies would be nice too!).

Our next match is away to Dynamo Cross in the league, having recently played them in the Junior Cup. I should hope that the message has finally sunk in by now, but we can-t take this game lightly. The fact that we had a 4-1 win over them means nothing. If anything it should suggest that they will be more determined to beat us, let alone the fact that playing them already so recently means they know us well. We have to earn our win(s). Let-s have the same effort and desire to win as we showed on Sunday. In fact that should be our benchmark for all our matches from now until the end of the season. A tough ask I know, but I know we-re capable of it. In fact we must do that if we want to achieve our ambitions.

Well done guys!

David