Fresh from promotion in their first season the women’s team always knew it was going to be a much bigger challenge this season. Ahead of the home match against Downend Flyers, we caught up with manager Ian ‘Cooper’ Harris for his opinion on how it’s going so far.
“It’s fair to say it has been a very frustrating and challenging start to our season. Whilst we were fully aware the step up after our promotion would be a challenge, we do feel we have underperformed as a group. I take full responsibility for that as I select the squad, pick the team, and the tactics, it’s been far from my standards and expectations.”
“Every game is tough in this league, we still expect better performances, levels and more points, we must do better, and learn quickly.”
“In my opinion the promotion winning group deserved the opportunity to play at this level. It’s true to say some have struggled so far and confidence has deteriorated. We have been without some key players for varying reasons and have been unable to replace them. Whilst we wanted to give this group the opportunity, we were not completely naive and also spoke to a number of players in the summer to try to strengthen.”
“Nobody is going out there trying to play badly, trying to make a mistake, or trying to lose games. The players are hurting, the management are hurting. But, we need to appreciate where we are as a club, try and stick together, and pick up the required number of points to stay in this division. We will only do that if we are together and as one!”
Footnote: The Women secured their first win of the season against Downend Flyers on Sunday.
