Today at the Wallace Binder ground, home of Maldon & Tiptree FC, I witnessed what I believe and hope to be a turning point for Rovers on the pitch. From debutant keeper Dylan Skinner to the front pairing of Jamie Guy and Jake Gordon, I saw a team no longer of individuals. The effort was there, the spirit was there, the belief was there and most importantly of all, at the end of the match, a team walked off the pitch.
The most impressive performance I've seen since that of our points at Witham Town.

Let's not forget, the first two efforts in the game came Rovers way, with Jamie Age and Jake Gordon both firing wide from a tight angle. The second half saw Jamie Guy miss a penalty and we hit the woodwork so despite the scoreline, we had our chances to get ourselves well and truly into the match.

I won't go into a summary player by player but I think a few players need a mention.

In Nikki Beale, we have a captain who is all too familiar with the Rovers ethos of trying to build a team of close knit friends who will support each other on and off the pitch. He's played for Rovers in two or three stints before and I think now more than ever, I for one am happy that he decided to talk and listen to Keith Wilson and come back to the club.
Today I heard Nikki above all of the other 21 players on the pitch and it's something we've been missing. Organising, encouragement and leading by example, a good leader on the pitch and in the clubhouse. You can see that Nikki enjoys his football and he's back at the club that has seen him amass 249 appearances in a green and white shirt.

For his debut, Dylan Skinner did extremely well. Coming into a team low in confidence, on a poor run and an away game against the league leaders, it was an assured performance. Ok, so he admitted that he should have saved Maldon's second, but those of us there saw the ball take a horrid skid off a hardening surface and despite Dylan getting down to it, a normal bounce and he would have saved it comfortably but it slid under his body. You could see how annoyed he was, but in that frustration was a passion to do well, and rather than let it get to him, he took it on the chin and saw out the remainder of the game without conceding again. It showed his passion for the game.
He is an imposing keeper, big in stature and vocal too. He controlled his area, didn't panic when pressured and I honestly believe that if he stays fit and enjoys the Wakering way, we could have a keeper on our hands that could stay between the sticks for seasons to come.

My last mention is for another new signing and debutant, midfielder Jamie Age. Whilst his first few passes went astray, he grew into the game slowly but surely and became more assured. While the final pass wasn't completely there, he got into the right positions and he managed a shot at goal which, had he a little more composure, could have had a different outcome. He was full of running and sadly came off with what I believed to have been a calf problem.

Without Jonathan Nzengo, who I think has been a superb signing down the right hand side, Keith has at his calling, a group of midfielders that should start to provide the engine to control games that Keith has been missing since his arrival.

With Wroxham winning, we're now bottom of the league. But that means the pressure is off so to speak. Keith can now continue to concentrate on bringing the players together as a team. On today's evidence we're heading in the right direction but with another tough game at home against Hornchurch on Saturday, it's another match where today's effort and team ethics can be put on show to bring some belief back to a demanding Burroughs Park faithful.