Gloucester
Late try saves Glaws in survival struggle
Attwood's try
By Cherry Picker
January 3 2010
Coach Bryan Redpath says the Gloucester players are playing for their futures as the club’s see-saw season staggers from one eyebrow-raising event to the next. But if he didn’t realise before the disappointing Kingsholm draw against Worcester, he must realise now that they are also playing for HIS future.
It needed a last-gasp try from replacement lock Dave Attwood to give Glaws a share of the spoils, but had Carlos Spencer converted the try from way out wide to win the game, Wuss would have had every right to claim they had been mugged after leading for so long.
Glaws had plenty of chances, but didn't look good enough to take them until it was too late to win the game.
Akapusi Qera had given Glaws the lead, but Willie Walker replied with a penalty against his old club and tries from Rico Gear and Jonny Arr gave Wuss the edge before Attwood’s late try.
The result means Glaws are now eighth, but they are only two points ahead of second bottom Wuss, while Bath did them a West Country favour by beating Leeds to keep the Yorkshire club rooted at the bottom five points adrift.
Redpath topld the BBC: "The opposition didn't have to play too much because we allowed them to get the ball from our mistakes.
"I am chuffed that we created the chances we did, but we didn't finish off and I have to try to create confidence in the decision-making side of things.
"I am disappointed with the draw because I thought we dominated most of the game. We just didn't take our opportunities.
"We were aware it was a big game for everyone. The fans were outstanding. It was great to see so many of them and they stuck by the players which was a big delight for me.”
At the end of a week of controversy over MD Ken Nottage’s reported comments on the role of the fans at Glaws, the crowd did, indeed, get behind the team – as Glaws crowds do.
But the team didn’t respond too well, and there will come a time when the crowd won’t be so willing to put so much support in for a losing team.
Meanwhile, weather permitting, the struggle to keep heads above water continues next Sunday at Newcastle, level on points with Glaws in the GP table.
It will almost certainly be a battle of attrition as both clubs know how important the result could be.
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03/01/2010 10:42
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We weren't unlucky, we shouldn't have won, we got what we deserved. In fact, in some respects we got more than we deserved.
The team isn't good enough, the whole set-up smacks of amateurism (ref this week's Nottage controversy), and after the alleged summer review by TW, that comes as a bit of a shock.
Will there be another review this summer, followed by nothing?
As you might have guessed, I'm fed up - I honestly thought we could beat teams like Worcs easily. I was wrong.
