No festive cheer for Crows

In a tough encounter with Stevenage, all the Crows had to show for their efforts was another Will Dacey penalty that put them 3-0 up early in the game, before Stevenage eventually controlled proceedings to emerge 34-3 winners at the final whistle. Another positive for Royston was the blooding of yet more young Crows that will surely reap benefits for future seasons.

The Christmas break should now hopefully allow the Crows to regroup, both in terms of confidence and the many injured bodies that have resulted in Royston using no less than 42 different players in just 12 league games so far this season. Consistency in terms of training, selection and ultimately performance will be crucial to Royston surviving in this league, with the biggest fixture of the season taking place on the first Saturday in January as they travel to face fellow strugglers Finchley. A win there will breed confidence for the remaining fixtures, and create some much needed daylight between the teams at the bottom of the league.

Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year!