Saturday we were at home to Lanes End, they showed up early - we didn’t show up at all!
I don’t really need to speak about the details of the match, only they scored three we scored none and were lucky to get that.
The only positive of the match from my point was the performance of Rob Hendley, he was quick, full of running and worked hard for the team (plus his missus is very easy on the eye). Apart from that we didn’t lose any football’s which was quite pleasing.
Lanes End were a physical side who if you gave them time would get the ball down and play, they were well organised and battle well for 90 minutes.
As a team we were pathetic, the players commitment looks like it is else where, I was up on Sunday to watch the 1st and reserves sides and although neither played as well as they could, with them both in the same position as us with a lack of players you could see their frustration when they didn’t win their matches, with both teams getting a draw. We need to have that attitude, especially as about 8 of the players who played on the Saturday played on the Sunday as well so there is no excuse for not putting in the same effort and attitude both days. I think we all forget at times we are playing for Pembury football Club and every team is just as important whether it’s the Sunday A side or the Saturday reserves and the managers of each team should be shown the same amount of respect (we might not always deserve it), because I know for a fact I’m not doing this because it’s fun and enjoyable at the moment. It looks like both Saturday sides are suffering due to the success of the Sunday sides (this isn’t the only reason), although personally I want to see the Sunday sides do well as during my brief playing career I played for all three it would be nice if some of the players had the same attitudes for the Saturday sides as they do on Sunday.
At the moment I’m to scared to moan at the players properly during and after the game when they haven’t performed because their reaction will be to have a go back and then not play again, this is maybe the norm for most teams now I don’t know, what I do know is that when I first joined this club if you didn’t give everything during a game of football for whichever team it wasn’t the manager you had to worry about it was your team mates, they would tell you and you had to accept it and improve or you were out, we do not have that luxury any more. So it would be nice if the players took it upon themselves to have a little pride.
I think from now until the end of the season the players and the management of our side need to show a change of attitude (I do include myself in this), we have seven games to go and although I’d like to say we should be looking to win all these games I’m not as big an idiot as most people think I am, although seven wins is probably out of our grasp the one thing we can achieve is an improved attitude and commitment.
I know that the players aren’t enjoying it going out with a patched up team every week but I am trying to get a regular team together but it is very difficult, until this season I didn’t realise how difficult and how much the managers at this club have to do EVERY week just to get a team out let alone subs as well. We had to make six changes from the squad that won last Saturday to the one that turned up this Saturday, the players need to realise that the quality is there but the attitude isn’t, this doesn’t apply to every player there are some who do their best every week and this is all I can ask of them. I think every player at some point this season has shown the attitude and commitment I am asking for but the majority only do it in fits and spurts. So there really is no reason not to give their best every week, if you lose to a better team you can accept it but we are losing to teams that aren’t as good as us they just want it more.
All in all another great week!
Team
Marcus Lawrence
Rob James
Andy Lindsey
Tom Bowyer
Lee Gunning
M.Wood
B.Leete
D.Hymers
G.Hughes
Jason Gale
Rob Hendley
Subs
Adam Salvidge
Josh Salvidge