Rae has said previously that he'll only bring in players who will strengthen the squad and his track record as far as recruitment is concerned is impressive...Imagine an additional 9 players added to this squad all better than those leaving. Not only does it give the coaches more options, it should also raise performance levels to even greater heights and narrow the gap between ourselves and Ealing, hopefully enabling us to be the best of the rest which is pretty much all we

...whether this had any impact on the game itself is all hearsay BUT from the opening whistle Nottingham were as fired up as any team this season in those opening minutes. Notts flew out of the blocks and it took some excellent defence to keep them from scoring, with Cov struggling to gain any decent possession. Fired up they most certainly were but Cov managed to hold firm and Ferrie's opening try was really against the run of play. A second try two minutes later following a

In the end, Cov proved far too strong for a battling Doncaster side that worked hard all afternoon and just about deserved their bonus point for scoring four tries. They were actually flattered a little, however, by the scoreline and had it not been for an uncharacteristically poor day off the tee from Tommy Mathews, the extra ten points from missed conversions might have been a truer reflection of the gulf in the end between the two sides.

When the final whistle sounded, the sun had emerged, bringing a sense of Spring with it. From the elevated pitch, one could see a few fruit trees in bloom, adding a burst of color to an otherwise drab landscape. A metaphor for new beginnings perhaps, of hope for the future? As far as Cov is concerned, the shoots are already there for all to see.

In some ways, it's unfortunate that the Forum didn't occur a couple of weeks later - back then, we were on a 5 or 6 game unbeaten streak, and the meeting's tone was optimistic regarding our on-field performance. After the disappointing games against Bedford and Chinnor, I believe there would have been different questions posed to Alex Rae, and given his commendable honesty, some straightforward answers as well. If the online Supporters' Forum is anything to go, the vulture

...but Cov have slowly built up momentum and despite what was, for me, a pretty average display against Cambridge, they've consistently picked up points of late and look to be in a good place right now. A significant amount of recognition should be given to Alex Rae and his coaching team. Despite facing criticism early on from certain quarters, they managed to ignore these external distractions and concentrate on their strengths, effectively responding to their critics

After establishing a seemingly decisive position at halftime with a 24-7 lead and dominating the last 15 minutes with a four-try salvo, Cov lost their discipline resulting in a series of penalties that allowed an increasingly confident Archers' team back into a game that appeared all but over when the outstanding Allan Ferrie scored just 5 minutes into the second half, extending Cov's lead to 24 points.