By Roger Clarke
April 26 2005

Phil Maynard has become quite philosophical about presiding over the longest losing spell he has ever known as player, coach or director of rugby. Saturday’s 35-17 defeat at Exeter was the 10th straight defeat for Pertemps Bees but at least the Bees are starting to return to something like the form they showed when they topped National One at the start of the season.

Saturday sees the visit of Manchester outfit Sedgley Park, two places and four points below Bees in what is the last game of the season, the last game at home and the last chance to avoid starting next season with a losing streak of gargantuan proportions hanging around their collective necks.

Maynard said: “I think we will win Saturday, I genuinely believe we will do the business. Bar missing a couple of kicks and missing a couple of tackles last Saturday we would have beaten Exeter.

“There is tangible evidence we have improved. The lads are up for it. Confidence is building slowly. We are all looking forward to the summer and we want to win this game collectively. This is the longest losing streak I have ever experienced but like all winning streaks do, all losing streaks eventually come to an end.”

Bees lost the fixture up in Manchester 38-19 at a time when the slump was gathering pace. They had lost to Exeter 39-17 at home the previous week and were hammered 81-17 in the sixth round of the Powergen Cup at Leeds.

Bees won three out of the next four, all at home, before the losing became a habit but Maynard is now hoping his team are climbing back up the other side of the trench and are about to look over the top this weekend.

Maynard said: “We are picking virtually from a full squad this weekend which will help the situation.”

Last weekend fly-half Tim Walsh had a terrible time with the boot, missing penalties, positional kicks and conversions with equal aplomb but Maynard said: “I am sure Tim will want to make up for last Saturday.”

He will join the team in wanting to make up for the last 10 Saturdays.


Roger Clarke- IC Birmingham