All is not yet lost for struggling Penarthians (From Penarth Times)

All is not yet lost for struggling Penarthians

THE ADVENT of the autumn internationals meant that Old Penarthians were denied action at all levels last weekend. However, the senior side does resume the league campaign on Saturday with a visit to Deri, for a match scheduled to kick off at 2.30pm.

This is a game that represents a must-win situation for the Old Boys against fellow strugglers still seeking their first victory of a dismal season.

Having lost five of their six fixtures to date, the Rhymney Valley side's sole reward has been a share of the spoils in the 17 points apiece draw at Ogmore Vale way back in early September.

Since then, Deri have found themselves shipping points at an alarming rate, the four subsequent games seeing the opposition averaging 39 points to the paltry five achieved by Deri.

They will, however, have been encouraged by the improvement shown in their last home game two weeks ago when visitors Pontyclun succeeded, but in a much closer 17-24 score line.

Not that the Penarthian record is likely to cause much in the way of consternation in the Deri ranks. One victory and five defeats reflects the several dismal performances that have come from Mark Smart's men, but they will make Saturday's journey in the knowledge that the 33 points to 7 win that was achieved was against Ogmore Vale, opponents against whom Deri could only draw.

The situation is, in fact, a far cry from the optimistic views that were being expressed at the start of the season, when the appointment of the enthusiastic Smart as skipper was coupled with the arrival of two new coaches in Tony Vagges and Tim O'Donnell.

Indeed, the players themselves appeared to approve of the variations that were introduced to make the twice-weekly coaching sessions more interesting while addressing aspects of the playing patterns.

Unfortunately, early injuries and unavailabilities created problems and those sessions have lacked support, to the detriment of the performances on the field that were to follow.

The difficulties of fielding a settled line-up can be seen in the fact that 36 players have already appeared in the side, with only skipper Smart, John Aubrey, Nick Vagges, and Tony Kemp able to claim full attendances.

Simon Davies, Dave Mason, Lee Brennan, and Jamie Croll have each missed just one game, but an indication of other problems are seen in the fact that last season's skipper, Simon Hennessey, has taken the field six times but has been forced to retire with injury on four of those occasions.

Apart from the constant disruption, a major factor in the lack of success can be put down to the absence of experience and leadership in the back division.

Chris Dacey was expected to fill that role in midfield, but initial injury was followed by an understandable commitment to this Saturday's marriage and he has appeared just twice.

Simon Davies has largely been in harness with brother Gavin at half-back, while newcomer Dean Grech impressed but is currently out of contention through work commitments.

Also absent, through injury, Huw Williams' pace and elusive running have been missed on the wing, although a bonus has been the arrival of Tim Draper, who could well create as big an impression as was achieved last term by Steve Roberts, a youngster now sadly committed to neighbours Penarth.

Nevertheless, John Aubrey, largely at full back, has always given of his best, with Ryan Harper a real trier on the wing.

Mark Smart has done his best to provide inspiration up front and has received good support from Jamie Croll and Andy Nourish, while Tony Kemp can always be relied upon to pull his weight in the linesout.

Nick Vagges came in from Dinas Powys at the start of the term and has been outstanding in most games, while Lee Brennan, not always finding favour with the selectors, still emerges second in the try scoring list, his tally of three touchdowns being just one short of that of skipper Smart.

David Mason's versatility has seen him perform in a variety of positions up front and behind, but the continuing difficulty with a troublesome shoulder has limited the excellent services of Gareth Shaw not only as hooker, but also about the field.

Mark Curtis, of course, continues to show commendable enthusiasm, despite constant threats of retirement but Malcolm Pen-berthy's expertise is limited to home games now that he has succumbed to the lure of the Vets side.

Certainly, there is still a feeling in the club that all is not yet lost and, with an easier fixture list looming large on the horizon, a confidence-boosting win this coming weekend might even spark the revival that would see the side climb to a more respectable position in the table.