Defeat was ‘tough to take’ for captain Luke Appleton
Captain Luke Appleton says Windsor’s loss against Wallingford & Crowmarsh at the weekend was ‘a tough one to take’ considering they had beaten the side just a few days prior in the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup and it was his 100th appearance for the Royalists.
From the first whistle to the last, Appleton believes the Wally were vastly the superior side and determined to pick up a statement win following their cup exit on home turf last Tuesday (September 27).
Tyler Robinson was the man of the hour in that clash, scoring a goal on the stroke of full-time to nudge his side into the third qualifying round.
The Royalists failed to emulate their efforts on Saturday when they faced the opposition in the Combined Counties Premier Division North however, and conceded three goals without reply to slip into 12th place in then table.
Reflecting on the loss, Appleton said: “It’s a tough one to take especially after Tuesday. We picked up a hard-fought victory away in the cup and scored in the 90th minute.
“But today, from the first whistle to the last, they were on the ball, and we got deservedly beaten. I think our preparation wasn’t good enough. If you don’t do the warm-up well, you’re in for a tough afternoon. I was saying in the changing room before [kick off] that we needed to erase that from our minds. But we didn’t, and like I said, from the start to the end, they were on top.
“I wanted to come away with three points especially on a day like this today for me but we just weren’t at the races at all.”
Appleton added: “We need to stick together as a squad. It is hard right now but we’ve got a week to train before we play again. As a group, we need to support each other and right the wrongs.”
Windsor face Wembley away on Saturday (October 8).
Kickoff is at 3pm.