Maynard praises Cov for reaching halfway point of season ahead of schedule.
AT THE midway point of their season, Phil Maynard believes Coventry are more than halfway to being the side everyone at Butts Park Arena wants them to be.
Indeed the rugby director has praised his team for demonstrating all the qualities they need to one-day mount a serious challenge to return to the Championship, with just one aspect of their make-up needing to improve – consistency.
Having played 15 games, Coventry have won nine and drawn one and stand in seventh position, not quite alongside National One’s elite, a group of four teams led by Ealing, but well placed on their shoulders to establish themselves as best of the rest.
If result have been pleasing, though, performances have been even more so – especially the way their off-season recruitment has addressed last term’s deficiencies.
Defensively the Blue and White line is not nearly as thin as the colander-like strucutre of 2010 and where they once lacked a recognised place-kicker, in the shapes of Luke Myring and Mark O’Connor they now have not one but two.
With prolific wing Tommy Harris to come back into the side for the first time since April and captain Jamie Miller soon to resume training, Maynard is looking forward to a positive second half of the season and attaining that elusive consistency.
“We are still working with what ostensibly is a very young side and from that point of view it’s been very good,” Maynard said.
“There are very few negatives, apart from maybe a lack of consistency but that’s the last piece in the jigsaw for a young team.
“In terms of our development we are about where we wanted to be. We consider ourselves a top third side and we would like to finish in the top five. I have seen nothing to convince me we can’t do that.
“Although we lost to Jersey last Saturday it was quite a big game for us because we were without three or four key members of our pack but we still managed to put in a performance and we are a little bit aggrieved we didn’t come away with something.”
Indeed, there have been times this season when Coventry have also had to field an inexperienced backline, one with an average age of less than 21. Even in those circumstances, though, they have been able to retain the doggedness that was a characteristic of their first year in this division. Local lads, working hard for each other and cheered on by local supporters.
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