First up, after an excellent performance against the table toppers, Bicester, we came up against the team that were hot on their heels in the table.

60 seconds in and Yateley had flown out of the blocks and across the lines we looked sharp. It appeared we were at the races today. The first 10 minutes sailed by, but sadly we got caught sailing too close to the wind and two miss placed passes later and bang! Newbury had scored. The game spiralled and Yateley quickly conceded again off another unforced error from the restart. Yateley 0-2 Newbury.

It is the worst 25 minutes we have had in four games. The ball was now in our court.

We picked ourselves back up and took the bull by the horns. It wasn’t pretty hockey, but Yateley finally completed more than two passes and created an opportunity.

Cometh the hour (25th minute), cometh the man. The ball landed at the feet of player and coach Tom McLean, who took to the challenge like water off a duck’s back. Calmness personified, he emphatically topped it from two yards out, and celebrated as it trickled across the line.

Yateley were back in the game. Just.

The game hurtled to half time, but seconds before the whistle was blown, Yateley dropped the ball again. A gift of a pass to a Newbury forward saw the visitors regain a two-goal lead. Back to square one.

It was a bitter pill, but the team rallied at half-time. The second half performance was night and day to the first. But despite creating a handful of good opportunities, it wasn’t enough.

It was always going to be a long shot to come back from that scoreline at half-time and we gave it our all but we were behind the game from the 12th minute and sadly lost the race to the final whistle. Deservedly so.