WHEN the going gets tough, the tough get their snow shovels and wheelbarrows out. When the call to arms comes, the Darlo army mobilises and gets the job done.

Given our horrible run of form, you could possibly understand it if the call for help to clear the snow of the pitch had fallen on some deaf ears. Saturday afternoons are not exactly the fun and excitement they were in recent years, and yet it was with great delight that so many fans answered the call to help out. The teamwork was a joy to behold. It was great to see some rugby folk pitching in to help the clearance efforts along with a number of our club’s officials. We all wanted the game on and that’s what we got.

After a quick turnaround and a much-needed swift half after the morning’s excursions, I was feeling oddly confident that we could finally turn the recent performances in to a win. It was optimistic I’ll admit given Chorley are an excellent team whose raison d’être is to keep it tight at the back while we are hardly the most prolific going forward. Despite that, when Reece Styche launched himself in to one of the more impressive piles of snow following a trademark thumping finish it was hard not to get a little carried away thinking it might just be our day. Things had been pretty even up until the goal and with Chorley not being the most prolific themselves, we had a chance.

Given how woeful we have been during the second half of games this season, it felt like we needed to hold our lead until half time, but that was just not possible. With the game level at the break, my optimism had ebbed, but it was back to sky high when we retook the lead with the penalty so early after the restart. In recent times, the early minutes after the break haven’t been kind to us. It was a pleasant change. Sadly, once again, it was a lead we couldn’t hold on to.

Even a numerical advantage for the last ten minutes or so didn’t help us. It was a little worrying that, despite having the extra man, Chorley looked the more likely to score with what appeared to be superior fitness. I guess a lot of teams will have players carrying knocks like I’m sure we have, but the lack of gas in the tank for the latter stages of games is becoming quite evident.

Coming away from the ground, I felt a bit despondent. To take the lead twice against a team that defends as well as Chorley and not secure the win was frustrating. However, if we weren’t so desperate for three points, I would probably see a draw as a pretty decent result considering our lowly position.

Whether you like it or not, what the result does do is put enormous pressure on the team to get the three points when we travel to Leamington. We’re going to have to keep it tight at the back and carry a threat – something we struggle with in terms of finding a balance that works for us.

Hopefully, we’ll return to a four at the back. I’m just not convinced that Tommy's preferred approach best suits the players we have available to us, especially when it means one of our better performers of recent times, Stephen Thompson, finds himself neither here nor there in a position that doesn’t suit him. We need to find a way to allow our top performers to make the biggest impact they possibly can. That means freeing the Peterlee One and letting him do his thing further up the pitch, running at the opposition rather than trying to get back into a defensive position.