THE frustrations of our season were laid bare at a windswept Croft Park on Saturday as we threw away a decent position in the lead to taking a bit of a hammering by the end of the game. If the new management team were unsure of where the strengths and weaknesses of the team lay, they will be a little bit wiser now. We played some decent football in the first half and, more importantly, defended reasonably well. Unfortunately, all the hard work was thrown away within minutes of the restart and from there on in it was the same old struggle we’ve faced for most of this season.

The good news for Tommy Wright is there were plenty of positives to take away from the game. Our players were happy to knock the ball around with a degree of patience on an afternoon where strong winds meant keeping the ball down was a must. Meanwhile, we marshalled a fluid Blyth attack pretty well during the first half. In midfield, Tom Portas looked in fine form driving forward with the ball making the transition from defence to attack more constructive than an aimless long ball from the back. Stephen Thompson and Josh Gillies both looked lively and carried a good threat even if the final ball was perhaps lacking. Revitalising our fortunes will rely on Thompson and Gillies finding their mojo and the signs on Saturday suggested they can both play a big part in turning our season around.

However, for all the positives, our bad traits of recent times came back to bite us on the backside yet again. Since we moved up to the National League North, dealing with sides when they have possession of the ball has been a challenge. It’s easy to pick out individual mistakes from our defenders given the regularity they come about but the support they receive from in front of them isn’t great. We’re not just talking about out wide either. Blyth owned the middle of the park for long periods of the game despite us fielding three central midfielders. All too often, opposing teams get in behind our midfield and from there on in, our somewhat static defence is often either caught out due to poor positioning or simply because they don’t win too many foot races.

While I agree with most fans that we could do with another option up front, I can’t help but think that if we were to become more solid defensively we might find it has a positive effect on our forward play. I can’t help but think our attacking players feel the pressure of how poorly we defend. When they receive the ball, there must be a thought in the back of their mind that if they lose it, regardless of how high up the pitch they are, it could lead to our opponents scoring. If you remove or lessen that anxiety, we might see our attacking players operate with the kind of freedom that might see them become more productive.

Fortunately, based on the post-game interviews with the new management team, it would appear that they are well aware of where our weaknesses lie. Time will tell whether they can rectify them. Talking is one thing, doing is a whole different ball game. I suspect most fans could put forward a cogent critique of this current Darlo side but having the wherewithal to rectify the problem areas is where Wright and White will earn their money. It’s not an easy task. Let’s face it, the previous manager struggled for three months last season and most of this season trying to fix problems with little success. Hopefully, a fresh approach will from the new management will prove to be more effective.