Our first preseason match against a team from Midlands Premier, a level above ourselves. A mixture of players representing the Club, saw a full 80 minutes of rugby, a first and second period of 20 minutes, followed by a 40 minute period. Giving a squad of about 25 players a testing, the first period saw a dominant performance from Scunthorpe, confining us to spend 90% playing in our own half, some top class defending keeping our lines intact. The second period, saw York dominating the scrums; we were winning more possession and playing in the opponents half. The final 40, was fairly even, both sides at times having to defend in order to keep their lines intact.
The shape needs some work over the next couple of weeks, as do our set pieces; we have to work on the patterns of play, getting our tackles lower. All in all, on a really hard surface we performed extremely well, playing with great commitment. The squad seems to be coming together, the fitness levels are very good, thanks to Danny Morgan’s work and we were pleased to get through with no injury problems.
There were a large number of senior players (10+) unavailable for this fixture. With three weeks to the first league match we should be well prepared for what is to come, with a certain amount of optimism. A number of last seasons second team players are now coming into contention, which is very healthy sign for the Club.
I see that the players are responding well to Lee’s new Coaching Team - I think the new additions have brought fresh ideas. All work in progress, this was a stern test for us and we came through giving a fine performance, well done to all who attended.