Gravesend pressure but few points

Money raised from the auction of a, Harlequins, signed ball donated by Green King, was added to proceeds raised at a curry evening and other donations, was rounded up to £1000 by GRFC and donated to the Fiji Disaster Appeal and presented to local fund raiser Sikivenusi B Stevens after the match.
Gravesend continues to struggle from an injury crisis which has blighted their season and again forced late changes to the side in Friday night. For the first twenty minutes Gravesend competed well and had created more opportunities than their visitors, Wimbledon, but that final step across the whitewash still eluded them.
A penalty chance after twelve minutes went wide, but Gs were competing for the ball at all phases, and looked likely to be the first to score as they pressed inside opposition territory.
A lost ball was sent up field by Wimbledon bounced into Gs twenty-two and what has become a season long trait with Gs the failure to deal with an easily clearable situation gifted a first try to the visitors.
The conversion was added from the boot of Neill Hallett and with his successful penalty kick two minutes earlier, the “Dons” had a 0-10 advantage.
With the clock running down to the midway break, Gs continues to press inside the visitors twenty-two, but were being kept out by player offences that first saw number eight James Hunt sent to the sin bin, followed by the open side flanker Steve May.
Penalty decisions kept the clock running, and failures to get the ball down over the line was disappointing especially against thirteen men, Gs went in 0-10 behind but still with all to play for.
The second half continued in much the same vain, with Gs pressing for a score, but when a stupidly loose pass was sent out, the interception by Oli Hewitt inevitable led to his solo run in to score between the posts, another conversion and Gs were 0-17 adrift.
Gravesend’s heads went down from this point and despite their efforts they could not get back into the game.
A series of penalties against them, followed by the sin bin for Ziggy Stevens, supposedly a deliberate knock-on for which Hewitt added a further three points and to make matters worse, Temi Okenla was shown yellow for apparent interfering with the ball after the tackle.
With two less to play against, Wimbledon capitalised on the space and added a goal for 0-27, and then while Gs were still short by one, added their fourth try.
Back to full strength, Gs rallied and with ten minutes still to play scored a driven try when Jamie Forsyth went down on the ball, conversion missed, 5-32.
Sadly, despite what at times was some seriously good rugby, the decision making at crucial times is questionable and the realisation that the ball must be made available much quicker from the breakdown needs to sink in.
Lots of positives to again be taken from this, but the need to turn the huge amount of pressure into points remains the Achilles Heel.
Next week, six nations, a rest week before visiting Tonbridge Juddians.