Update from Director of Rugby Dan Protherough

On Saturday we extend a warm welcome to Burton who in my time at Bromsgrove we have probably played more than any club. Honours tend to be pretty even over that period and there are a lot of similarities between the two clubs. Normally the games are keenly contested with the home side running out winners which of course we will be aiming for today. Earlier in the season this was exactly what happened in a game we could have won but Burton deserved it by being very efficient in the red zone.

After a mixed January, February was a great month with us winning all three games with the victory against Stourbridge probably the sweetest of all. They have some high quality players but I was really pleased that our team culture and modus operandi paid dividends on the day with an emphatic performance. The lads really stepped up and bar a few shaky moments but in as good as performance as we have produced this season. In many ways it was a clash of philosophies where we focus on youth and players who may have been playing for clubs in lower leagues whilst they tend to go for tried and trusted players who have played at higher levels.

March started well as we comfortably ran out winners against Broadstreet which was pleasing as there was always the fear that it would be a difficult day after the big derby against Stourbridge. We now enter the last four games of the season looking to sign off in style and go into the cup in good spirits. The 2nd XV performances have really improved since Christmas with an excellent performance against Old Leamingtonians last time out at Bournville to win our now annual grudge fixture! The 3rd XV also had a great win against Bournville which was really pleasing, and hopefully provided some comfort for captain Stephen Rose who does a marvellous job and has had a difficult time personally recently, and has coped magnificently.

As today is the Crusaders Lunch special mention must go to the mighty Crusaders who after a tough game against Kiddy returned to winning ways at Evesham thanks to the return of their indomitable leader Martin Lakeman. Martin is relentless when he sets his mind to things and can be a pain in the a**e at times, but nobody can question both his commitment to his beloved Crusaders but more importantly the work he has done to raise funds in aid of Scotty Morris and MND. The time, and effort he has put into this cause has been unbelievable and he has been the catalyst for most of the fundraising efforts alongside Rick Foulds which are so important to Scotty. The work they have done has shown the very best of this club and I personally would like to say I’m so proud of what they have done for Scotty and it makes me very proud to be involved with this wonderful club.

As always the support of the Finstall faithful will be crucial on Saturday as we chase a fifth win in a row.

#uptheboars

Dan Protherough