Yes. 15 points easyish target for today next Sat and Sat after. But with no points today we are already well behind what I'd imagined would be have been the Teams aim. So we definately need 10 in 2 weeks. Twitter (from Esher? Rep.) gave impression of mishandling frequently and 10 points given awamy in last minutes of game. A trend we need to halt to enjoy a finish mid table
Very poor first half hour, whistled to death by the ref, a yellow card and conceded a try that looked like unopposed training. All of that with a gale at our backs too so 7-7 at half time was always going to be tough in the second half. Discipline was better in the second half but Esher always looked more likely and it was hard work getting out of that corner on the stand side. Given the conditions I personally thought both teams made a good fist of trying to play a bit of rugby.
Chinnor next up will be a tough one after they're result against Rosslyn park but I back us at home against most teams in this league. Injuries a worry hope we can get a few back for next week
We are never going to finish in the top half of the table until we start winning some away matches. Our away form has been dreadful for years, and I mean years. It hardly encourages away support either.
Our injury situation looks as bad as we had last season. Not having a settled side can't help the coaches.
not helped by the number of players we signed with injuries. The pool of the fit is actually pretty small, and has got smaller as the season has progressed (ok, I can't put numbers to that, but that's what it feels like).
We are never going to finish in the top half of the table until we start winning some away matches. Our away form has been dreadful for years, and I mean years. It hardly encourages away support either.
How many times have you had a full coach this season Phil?
That was the first admittedly but with the supporters that make their own way too, we have a very healthy following as recognised by Adam and the squad.
How many times have you had a full coach this season Phil?
That was the first admittedly but with the supporters that make their own way too, we have a very healthy following as recognised by Adam and the squad.
I agree with your last point Phil, but I am sure away support would increase with better results. I am not having a go at the MSA as you will know
Moseley Matters didn't have an update on injuries (assume one was not provided by the club). I thought Will Safe was close to returning. Is Ollie injured? Has Tom Benjamin left the club?
Ollie Stedman was in Thailand, as you can see from his Twitter timeline - presumably booked before he signed and therefore agreed by the Management. Will Safe said he is awaiting a final scan when we spoke to him on Saturday before he gets the OK to play. Tom Benjamin is still around and training with the squad but wasn't picked Saturday.
There should hopefully be an injury update in Saturday's programme - certainly one has been requested as always from the Lead Physio, which is now Elly.
Esher v Moseley Saturday 7th January 2023 Well folks. On a miserable, wet Saturday morning, the first Saturday of 2023 and the occasion of the first away game of 2023 the Moseley faithful gathered in their thousands - well ok, 52 - eagerly waiting the coach to arrive to take them to Esher. Although the weather was foul, expectations were high, after all Esher were at the lower end of the table and Moseley, mid-table, were on a four match winning streak starting with a superb home win on the 12th November against Cambridge, second from top.
To say the match against Esher was a complete wash-out in terms of both weather and playing performance was not far from the truth. Even a torrential downpour of biblical proportions which soaked supporters one and all - and that was just between the club house and the coach - was not enough to dampen spirits, despite the coach not being warm enough to dry our coats, shoes and socks. And in my case my knickers ( Mam always called my underpants knickers ) were absolutely sodden and remained that way all day. Little did we think that downpour would turn out to be an ominous sign of what followed?
The Esher ground, well laid out with a good sized, well maintained pitch and deep in goal area, boasted friendly stewards, a lovely little club house housing a real log fire, a sandwich and tea bar just outside the main entrance and a decent sized 4 or 5 row covered wooden stand; not unlike the old ‘Reddings’ stand. However, as regards creature comforts that was about as far as the warm Esher welcome extended.
The Esher pack looked much bigger than the Moseley lads, certainly in the front five and I felt it wouldn’t be too long before Moseley ran the legs off them, take control of the line out, dazzle them with some champagne three quarter play and begin to run up a decent score. Wrong! How utterly wrong!
Moseley, in their new, pale green away kit, kicked off from the club house end with a gentle to moderate breeze behind them. Esher, playing as a team with an unexpected, confident purpose, stormed straight into the heart of the Moseley team. Quick hands and good linking between the Esher forwards and backs had Moseley scrambling to defend up front and out wide. Oh eck, this wasn’t expected, Esher didn’t turn up for the first half at Moseley so what on earth was going on? Although Moseley weathered the initial onslaught they struggled to contain the lively Esher open play. Never mind I though, at the first scrum or line-out the Moseley machine will kick into action, gain the initiative and have Esher chasing shadows. Wrong! How utterly wrong!
Throughout the game the Moseley pack didn’t turn up, neither did the line-out which was awful and the midfield defence was more porous than a large holed kitchen colander. What with overthrows galore and more than a fair number of not straight throw-ins, the Moseley line-out conceded advantage to Esher on a regular basis. And the Moseley pack fared no better as Esher shoved the vaunted Moseley pack all over the pitch, winning scrum penalties as if they were going out of fashion in the process. Esher must have made a whopping great New-Year wish because, other than Jacques le Roux and the very impressive Simon Koroiyadi giving Esher plenty to think about Esher were in full control, certainly up front, throughout the entire game.
The Moseley three-quarters fared a little better and here I felt certain that both Aquile Smith and Sam Pointon were subtly or blatantly blocked - more than occasionally - when chasing high kicks. Ollie Allsop, as usual, put in some excellent long touch-kicks but the pathetic Moseley line-out all too often squandered the opportunity to gain the initiative.
On the stroke of 15 minutes play a superb clean midfield break by the Esher scrum half gave him the easiest under the post converted try to put Esher ahead, a lead which they never lost. Shortly after that Matt Marsh was given a yellow card - no idea why - but soon after he came back on Moseley scored a white line fever converted try of their own by the Esher posts to level the score. It stayed that way till half time.
Within 10 minutes of the second half starting, an Esher maul in the Moseley 5 yard area crabbed it’s way along the try-line to score yet another converted try under the posts and put Esher 14 -7 ahead.
That galvanised Moseley pack into the hint of a purple patch; Sam Pointon made a good half break, off loaded to Ollie Allsopp who dotted the ball down for a converted try under the post. With the score now 14 -14 and around 10 minutes left to play Moseley had a chance to play for a draw at least and possibly even a win. But Esher had other thoughts as another scything mid-field clean break put them under the posts yet again for another converted try to pull away to 21 - 14. Moseley still had a chance to earn at the least a draw bonus point. However, that thought was scuppered when Moseley yet another penalty which Esher wisely kicked to extend their lead to 24 - 14 and deny Moseley a losing bonus point.
Esher deserved their win that is without question. Of more concern though, for the loyal Moseley supporters was the inability of the Moseley pack to hold their own against the Esher pack, let alone dominate it and the awful, absolutely awful line-out performance. As is so often said about the Moseley playing performance, particularly the Moseley playing away performance the only way now is UP. All the same my support through gritted teeth rather than gleeful joy Come on Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooose
Disappointing result. I had us down for an away win at Esher. They're below us in the table and it looked like an ideal game to take 5pts back home with us. 😶
