Squad depth gives Maidenhead head coach hope for crucial pre-Christmas run

Shawn Ingle. Photo credit: Paul Morgan

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David Mobbs-Smith hopes to have more players available for his side’s crucial away games between now and the Christmas break as Maids look to put their first points on the board this season away from Braywick Park.

Maids currently sit ninth in the table, above the likes of bottom club Wimbledon, Hammersmith and Fulham and Camberley, however, all 15 points they’ve earned to date have come from exciting and entertaining victories at Braywick Park.

They’ve not managed to score even a losing bonus point from their away games at CS Stags, Bracknell, Jersey, London Scottish Lions but Mobbs-Smith hopes that will change in the coming weeks with more key players set to be available for trips to Farnham on Saturday week, Tunbridge Wells on November 29 and Hammersmith & Fulham on December 13.

There were seven changes to the side for Saturday’s thrilling yet tense 41-38 win over Worthing from Maids’ 50-7 defeat on the road at London Scottish Lions earlier in the month.

Reflecting on their form away from home, Mobbs-Smith said: “Sometimes it’s just something like injuries and unavailability.

“That can change the squad. The team that played this weekend had seven changes from the team that lost at London Scottish Lions.

“That’s half a team. That just happened to be the circumstances of that away fixture, and it was the same when we played CS Stags funnily enough.

“It just sometimes works out like that. Hopefully we can get a bit more control over our injuries and unavailability to just take stronger sides away from home in this period up until Christmas. We should be able to get a strong side out.”

“We’ve got to sneak a couple of wins in there just to keep those teams below us. Saturday’s win could be a big one because teams might treat us slightly differently when they come to play us here. Worthing should be a top four aspirational side, and they’ll be disappointed to have lost to a team like us away.

“We have a reputation now for being very attacking and very difficult to beat at home. Last year we had many games that we won by one score. We’ve had two big victories this season, but we have some tough teams coming to our place after Christmas. I don’t think we’ll be clobbering teams if we are winning those matches. It should be exciting.

“It will be quite easy to finish ninth in this league because there aren’t many poor sides. Many teams could get sucked into that relegation play off, because with five points for a win, things can change very quickly.”

Maids hope to have a few players back from injury soon too, with winger Scott Prince pencilled in for a December return. However, there is strength in depth across the senior section.

The first team may not have won away from home yet, but the 2nd team haven’t had such issues, and they hammered local rivals Marlow 2nds 81-19 at Riverwoods at the weekend.

Mobbs-Smith says Maids’ model makes it more likely those players will be called up to the first team quicker than they would be in other sports or by other clubs.

“There’s some talent and development coming through from the 2nds,” he said. “That will help us (the first team) ride out injuries and unavailability.

“These are prevalent in rugby, and you can only deal with them with what we have underlying us.

“We’re not going to go out and buy replacements. We must develop our youth players to fulfil their potential in senior rugby. They’ll get chances here earlier than they might in another sport or at another club.

“We have a lot of depth in the club. We had 20 players who played last year having come through the club.

“That’s our model and for some of the other clubs we’re playing, that’s not their model. Quite a few of the clubs around us are similar, but some of the London clubs aren’t.

“Bracknell and Camberley are far more adventurous and able to pay for players to play. They have well-financed playing squads.”