04/05 Season
Milton Keynes vs City of Salford NW VC 1
Date: 20-Nov-04
Score: 2-3 (26-24 16-25 25-21 21-25 12-15)

On a poor run…

Saturday saw yet another five set match, as Milton Keynes struggled against City of Salford. On paper, Milton Keynes should have been the stronger, given the league position, however Salford had other ideas.

The tempo of the match was laid down in the first set, as both teams fought hard to keep a lead. It was neck a neck all the way, with Milton Keynes taking the vital points at the end of the set to take a 26-24, 1-0 lead. However, the story of the season has been a good start from Milton Keynes followed by a lax second set. Saturday was no different, as Salford took charge to take the set with ease 16-25.

Milton Keynes stepped up the pace and tried to get some of the early season form back into their game. Salford rallied well, but Milton Keynes managed to win some vital points to enable them to take the lead again following a 25-21 set. Despite Milton Keynes with the momentum, and only one set away from victory, Salford saw a great opportunity to win only their second game of the season. Salford battled to take the fourth set 21-25, setting up Milton Keynes' 5th five set match of the season so far - that after only seven matches.

The 5th set started very badly, as a rotation error saw Milton Keynes' score reduced to zero, and from 2-3, they found themselves 0-4 down. Despite some great battling from the home side, the deficit proved too much to turn around as Salford took the set 12-15, to earn a well deserved victory in a well-mannered game.

The passion of the Milton Keynes' players is still there despite 2 losses in a row. From a league perspective, the lads still find themselves in third position, with a number of teams ready to take the spot, so there is still all to play for. Milton Keynes have an early opportunity to stop the poor run, with another home fixture on Saturday against Haughton, who the lads beat in the first match of the season. But one thing's for sure, this is the tightest league in a long time, as it has been proved that any team can beat any other team on their day.

Next match: At home on Saturday 27th November @ 15:30 vs Haughton (Woughton Campus)

Team: Matt Almond, Simon Barton, Colin Brown, Tim Daun, Dave Goddard, Ant Moffat, Scott Robson, Kevin Smith, Andreas Whitley

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