Gss turn up forty minutes late

The sad thing about today's game was that Gss first half presence was such that they made a mediocre Wimbledon look better than they deserved.
That said, one should not take anything away from a spirited performance by a home XV that saw them run in five tries from a consistent performance that brought rewards that must have been beyond their wildest dreams, and a first try bonus.
Three good boots that time and again were able to turn Gss who had to take possession going backwards. and elements of play that Gss were unable to recreate at any time throughout the game.
Wimbledon's first chance came from a penalty kick on five minutes, but that ended as the only kick missed by the home full back, Neil Hallet, in the first quarter, was an early let off for Gss.
Two Hallett penalties gave the home XV the lead at fifteen minutes, 6-0, but the full back was to be involved as he added the conversions to to three of the five first half tries that could only be seen as flattering for the home XV.
The latter two went unconverted but needless to say at 34-0 behind at the interval was somewhere Gss had not been before, or really deserved to be.
Individual performances are great to see, but it is a team performance that is required to bring success, and in the first forty minutes for Gravesend, this was missing.
The second half was a different tale as some cohesion was apparent in the visitors game, but still some indecision and lack of belief in their abilities was clear to be seen in the players execution of the game.
Gss pack was doing well at the set scrum, which allowed the ball to be moved out to the backs, but Wimbledon's defence was holding firm. Second phase ball going forward as Gss made inroads to the opposition territory, but the failure to give the pass to the man on the shoulder saw this momentum come to a stop on too many occasions. Dying with the ball was making the defence easier for Wimbledon, and the turn overs gained found Gss having to defend.
Several times it looked as if the Gss line was going to be breached, as the back row was made to work tirelessly at the break-down, the continuous cover tackling by Jacob Berthelsen and Gary Gray was a prominent part of Gss defence.
Gray's presence added a maturity and second dimension to Gss game going forward as he joined the line from full-back to combine with Temi Okenla and Tony Nolan on the wings, but Wimbledon always managed a last scrambled tackle to stop the attacks.
The pressure build up inside the home twenty-two should have produced scores, but again the final execution was just not going Gss way, as the line was often cleared as the ball was lost forward.
Gravesend's line-out failed to function and Wimbledon gained possession from this area far too easily, but Gss fought hard to regain lost ball which again kept the backs supplied to take forward.
Reward eventually came from the build-up inside the home twenty-two when Jacob Bacon found his way across the whitewash to touch down.
As so often happens when a team scores, their opposition do likewise and today was no exception, and Wimbledon answered with their only score of the second half.
Despite the final score line , the second half was a far better performance from Gss, and had they played a full eighty minutes the way they finished the game the scoreline could have been different and the possibility of points being added to the seasons tally was a real prospect.
Next week Gravesend entertain TJs in what should be a game not to be missed, kick-off 15.00.