Whether we might have snuck into the playoffs, this season was a write-off as soon as Manning went. He was getting more out of the squad than it was really capable of, and the extra upheaval of losing Beadle, Edwards and Mills compounded that.
What we should have seen since then though is some evolution and progression under Des, guiding us into a summer transfer window with very little work to do. Instead it feels like we’ve wasted a transfer window and players who looked excellent at L1 level in the first half of the season - Rodrigues, Leigh, McGuane - have looked shadows of those players unclear of their roles in strange team selections. All of a sudden we’re four or five signings off the starting point we should have had.
What Des must demonstrate today and for the rest of the season is that he is control of what’s happening. If we go 1-0 up, then make sure that the direction and subs show that we are doing all we can to stay on the front foot, not James Henry bumbling on in a like for like change while we slowly get deeper and deeper then concede a soft goal.
We will not get a better opportunity this season than today’s game to make a statement to build from. I’m confident we’ll win, but what I really want to see is a 90 minute performance. Not one that only gets going when we concede because we can’t create that urgency and momentum ourselves and need that trigger to start playing.