KJM SPORT REPORT Sherborne 0 Millbrook AFC 1
- Details
- Created on Monday, 01 August 2022 00:02
- Last Updated on Monday, 01 August 2022 08:03
- Published on Monday, 01 August 2022 00:02
After a summer of turbulence off the field at Jenkins Park, with some key figures departing, a new-look Millbrook launched their Western League season with a narrow defeat.A George Mapletoft header in the 61st minute was enough to give promoted Sherborne all three points as Millbrook, with eight Western League debutants, struggled to make an impact.
Manager Macca Brown said: “I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think I’m going to attend next season’s first game – my first game of the season record at Millbrook is absolutely tragic, in the seven opening games I’ve had I’ve only won one!
“However, we’ve always gone on and had successful seasons so we know it means very little, and hopefully that’s the case again.”
After the defeat, Brown said: “We are disappointed because neither team deserved to win the game and it’s one of those where you’d be delighted to just get the first one out of the way with a point on the board and move on.
“Unfortunately we were undone by what their manager described as a ‘scabby’ goal, and he was bang on.
“It was a typical first game of the season, frantic and tense, which certainly affected the performance. Neither team really settled into the game at all, resulting in safe, low risk tactics.
“We certainly expected that in the first half, but it continued into the second half until Sherborne scored.”
Millbrook suffered an early blow when Tylor Love-Holmes was forced off in the first minute after a bad tackle.
Brown said: “That was a huge blow after the pre-season he has had. But we really dealt with the first game ‘occasion’ well in the opening period, defended brilliantly and created some really good chances.
“We had hoped to settle a little after that opening period, but there was just a bit too much tension in the air for that to happen.
“So at half-time we respected the state of the game and went with it, and maybe in hindsight we should have encouraged the players to be braver and find our game, but then if we take a point home with us we are saying we did what we had to do
“It was scrappy after that, and it looked like one goal would be enough but neither team really looked like it was going to happen for them, with both teams defending really well.
“The period after the goal is where we were disappointed, as we were in control in their half for the last 20 minutes and we just didn’t provide the right quality when it mattered.
“Equally the ball just didn’t seem to drop for us and you need that bit of luck in games like that but it wasn’t to be.”
But Brown found plenty of positives from the game. He said: “We had eight players in the squad making their Western League debuts and they were all excellent.
“We’ve not been battered - it was a tight game which could have gone either way and those are the fine margins which the lads have now seen.
Millbrook: C Wearing, J Richards, L Murray, J Wood (N Maund), H Greening, E Goodman, K O’Melia (J Foster), J Toulson (J Johnson), C Kenny, Tylor Love-Holmes (C Summerfield 1), S Thomson (R Knight).
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