"I suppose it Sod's Law times two!!" said Ross Cousins after the match.
"You defend 15 corners in a game without a problem, but the one that
should have been a goal kick & the ref gets wrong is the one they score
from. I've been on at the manager to let me take penalties rather than
Sharks - you can't have keepers taking penalties, can you? And I miss
the first chance I get!"

Sod's Law it may be but Mangrove manager Gordon Picker will be mightily
encouraged by the performance against table-toppers Royston "A". His
team gave their all, with Tom Andrews outstanding at centre half & every
man working hard to find a way back into a game that could have gone
horribly wrong after another first minute goal. A corner that should not
have been was half-cleared & a mis-hit shot from 25 yards struck
Andrews, looped up into the air wrong-footing Sharkey & found its way
into the net under the bar.

In truth it was not the only time that Mangrove were heard to criticise
the referee who seemed to favour the home team, but he did award the
penalty for a push in the back on substitute Everitt that many could
have ignored. That it was saved was a travesty on the second half
performance but hard luck stories don't win football matches.

"I can say for the first time this season that I was really proud of the
players & their effort. We set up a system to try to frustrate Royston.
They're probably the best footballing team in the division & we weren't
going to outpass them, so we had to compete physically & close down the
space, which we did superbly, especially in the second half when we
pushed up a bit at the back & closed the gap between defence &
midfield,"  was Picker's synopsis of the game. Asked how the defeat left
him, he responded, "I'm gutted for boys really. They all put heart &
soul into this game & I thought we deserved at least a point. Sharks
made three great saves, we looked lively in front of goal & there were
some awesome contributions around the park defensively. Best performance
of the season to date!"

The first half was a story Royston pressing with little reward & the
occasional Mangrove break. Royston passed well, whilst Mangrove found it
hard to link play with Hills on his own up front, but the away team
battled manfully & turned round a goal down thanks to their spirit &
teamwork.

The second half was a different story. Williams went off with a back
injury after 54 minutes & with Everitt coming on up front, Girdlestone
dropping to sweeper, Hills to the right & MacPhail in the centre, the
defence pushed up & suddenly Mangrove began to dominate. MacPhail &
McHardy won crunching tackle & this was a springboard to an end to end
period which brought Mangrove's penalty, two outstanding saves from
Sharkey & excellent chances for Hills on the volley & Cave breaking
through from midfield.

Andrews made two surging runs from defence to set up chances for
Mangrove & could have capped off a superb personal display with a volley
on the turn from a corner that he unfortunately overhit & is probably
still travelling!

Overall this was a much-improved showing, despite losing four players
from the squad very late on - perhaps it's true that the best team is
not always made up of the best 11 players!

It's a cup tie next week so we'll have to hope that this form can be
taken forward - Gordon Picker & his management team will be hoping to
have selection headaches ahead.