Ball retention is crucial for Blues

NATIONAL LEAGUE 1

MACCLESFIELD Blues came up short again on Saturday after suffering a heavy 55-10 defeat at Blackheath.

It was always going to be tough for bottom of the table Macc, going up against a Blackheath side who are in fourth place.

It was another setback for the club, and Macclesfield head coach Giles Heagerty knows where the game was won and lost.

“The principal difference between the two teams during the weekend was that they could keep hold of the ball and we couldn’t,” he said.

“They were able to create a number of opportunities on the back of our mistakes and they always had a number of bodies around the ball when we made mistakes; as a result of that they were able to take those opportunities.

If you’re going to turn the ball over as many times as we did on Saturday, then it doesn’t really matter who you’re playing: you’re going to struggle to win.

“When you’re playing a team that’s fourth in the league you’re going to come badly unstuck. Blackheath are a good side – their league position clearly tells you that, but I don’t think you can read too much into Saturday’s result, as I don’t believe that performance gives an adequate reflection about where we are at the moment.”

It doesn’t get any easier for Macclesfield, as up next for them is a home match against Hartpury College this weekend.

Hartpury have won all 14 of their league games so far this season, and Heagerty is under no illusions that it will be tough.

“I’m not going to say too much about what we’re going to do at the weekend because we don’t want to show our hand too early, but as I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions the one thing you have to have going into games like this is the right mentality,” he said. “It’s all too easy to look at Hartpury’s result last week against Moseley and the rest of the results they’ve put together this season and think we’ve no chance.

“The problem is if you go into a game with that sort of mentality you’re beaten before you even take to the field. So we’re not going to do that.

“We’ll go into the game with right attitude and mentality, and we’ll focus on the things we want to do. If we get that right, then Hartpury can do what they like.”