Well, we know that the season is over now and for some clubs in the League in mid table positions it was perhaps just another season. But for the Blues it was far from that. For the players, coaching staff and supporters the season has been quite a journey and certainly a season of two halves.

As everyone connected with the Club and supporters will know the season didn't start well and then got worse before a tremendous recovery took place. For that recovery real credit is due to Frank Taggart as head coach and indeed all of the coaching staff - Jack Roberts and Simon Lilley as well the players, the Chairman, Steve Morris and everybody who helps in the running of the Club. A big thank you too to all of the Club’s and player’s sponsors. What could have been a very difficult first ever season in The London and South East Premier League ended up as a triumph. A great deal of hard work and determination by the coaching staff and the players was required and was duly delivered.

After the thrilling climax to last season, the Blues faced the prospect of their first ever season in the London & SE Premier League with anticipation and perhaps just a little trepidation. How big was the gap in standards from last season going to be? We were soon to find out. The Blues had sadly lost a few players in the close season. Sean O'Hagen was going to be playing in Ireland; Doozer had visa problems, Jordan Wythe was retiring due to injuries and Rob Fogerty was not going to be available for most of the season. Then as the season progressed there were bad injuries for Jack Thomas, Jake Mills, Joe Hoare and others. Max Morris missed a few games after hernia surgery. On the plus side Dave McIlwaine and Rich Neil joined the Club as player/ coaches, Alex Basson came in from Worthing, Will Hoare returned from his travels in Oz bringing with him Henry Shiell. Hooker Tom Hatch was another new addition.

THE SEASON PART ONE- THE STRUGGLE

The Season kicked off with a home game on 7th September against Hertford and resulted in a defeat (24-40) for the Blues (pictured above). It wasn't a bad performance but was a good indicator to the players and coaches of what to expect. The next game was away to Guernsey on 14th September which was always going to be a tough fixture. The Blues went down (22-7) but were by no means disgraced. Next, a home game on 21st September against Tunbridge Wells and a (26-38) defeat. Again, not a bad performance with some good passages of play but mistakes were being punished.

The final September game was away to London Irish Wild Geese on the 28th and the Blues lost (38-18 pictured above). A pattern was emerging of playing well for part of the game but not maintaining it for eighty minutes.

The first game in October was home to C S Stags on the 5th and resulted in a (25-34 pictured above) defeat. This was a game that was there for the taking but again mistakes proved crucial. Alarm bells were now starting to ring. Speaking recently to Frank Taggart I asked him what the mood in the camp was like at this stage. Frank said that there was no panic, that he felt the ability was definitely there and that understandably confidence was low. The results were a bit of a shock but ultimately if the players reacted in the right way then it could make the team stronger in the long run. The coaching staff and the players worked even harder and focused on going back to basics, enjoying themselves and playing for the whole eighty minutes.

Next up, on the 12th October was an away game to old rivals Sevenoaks. The Blues lost a really close game (14-7 pictured above) but there were signs of encouragement. The Blues trailed (14-0) at half time but spent a large part of the second half camped near the Sevenoaks line. The best performance of the season so far; green shoots were visible through the thick mud! A home game against Tring was next on 19th October and the draw (13-13) broke the run of six defeats. More importantly following on from the good performance against Sevenoaks perhaps the players were starting to realise that they could hack it in this League and confidence was increasing. The 26th October saw the Blues go down (20-10) to Bedford Athletic in a close game. Two months of the season had passed and the revival was about to start.

THE SEASON PART TWO - THE FIGHTBACK BEGINS

The November action began on the 9th at home to Sidcup and was the first win of the season for the Blues, a resounding win (41-3 pictured above). It was a very wet and windy day but that didn't bother the Blues who put in a terrific performance and for once also the ball bounced their way. Frank Taggart said that training before the game had gone really well and he felt that a big performance was coming. The win was a massive moment in the season and really lifted spirits. Now the players knew they could compete against any team in the League.

Next was a (41-24) defeat away to Wimbledon who were top of the League (pictured above). The Blues played really well and at half time there was only a couple of points in it. Maxx Morris scored two great tries and Wimbledon certainly knew they had been in a game. The view of some of the Wimbledon players and crowd was that the Blues were the best team they had played so far in the season. A bonus point away to the League leaders was important and the four tries gave the supporters plenty to cheer about. Confidence was no longer a problem, it was soaring.

The 23rd November match was a comfortable home win for the Blues (34-10) against Guildford (pictured above). A little earlier in the season any sort of win was needed, how quickly things had changed. The first December game was away to Dorking on the 7th and resulted in another draw (21-21). The score didn't really tell the true story of the game as the Blues played really well and looked to have the game sewn up until Dorking scored two converted tries in the last four minutes to snatch a draw.

Then on the 14th December the Blues were at home to Rochford Hundred (pictured above) who were fighting to be top of the League along with Wimbledon and Guernsey. The Blues went down (16-19) in a game that could have gone either way and certainly didn't look intimidated by Rochford’s lofty League position. The last game before the Christmas break was the home game against Guernsey and resulted in a (7-47) defeat. This was the Blues heaviest defeat of the season. Guernsey were very good and nothing on the day went the Blues way.

The first game of the New Year was away to Tunbridge Wells on the 4th January and resulted in a (38-5) defeat (pictured above). In my opinion, this was our worst performance of the season, a truly bad day at the office! We all have them. Too much Christmas pudding? Who knows but definitely a wake-up call.

THE SEASON PART THREE- SIX OF THE BEST

Over the Christmas break we sadly lost our former President Pat Ward-Lee. Pat joined the Blues at the age of 16 and was a clubman under his until his final days. A minutes silence was held at the first home game of 2020.

I don't know what Frank and the rest of the coaching staff said to the players after the Tunbridge Wells debacle but whatever it was it certainly worked and produced a magic final part of the season for the team and supporters. First up was a home win against London Irish Wild Geese on the 11th January (22-20) (pictured above). A close game as indeed were all the remaining games of the season to be. Next up was an away win (26-29) at CS Stags on the 18th November where the Blues came from behind to record an important win. Below, Peter Rodgers set for a line out against CS Stags.

The Blues were now climbing up the table and away from the relegation zone. Then on the 25th January was a (12-8) home win against Sevenoaks. This was actually my favourite game of the season as it featured a tremendous defensive effort by the whole team. To be fair to Sevenoaks they were pretty much camped on our line for the whole second half but our defence was magnificent. At one point a try in the corner looked a certainty but Will Hoare somehow managed to make a try saving tackle inches short of the line. Fittingly in the last play of the game Sevenoaks did actually cross the line, the Referee had a close look but the player was held up by Will Hoare (pictured above) who not surprisingly was made Man of the Match. What was emerging was a very strong will to win right through the team. The Sevenoaks supporters couldn't believe it but the Blues had won a game that they surely would have lost earlier in the season.

Next up was an away game on the 1st February at Tring whom we had drawn with at home (pictured above). The result was a win for the Blues (13-16). I didn't make it to this game but Frank Taggart told me that it was a huge win. The team played with real physicality and kept the home crowd quiet. Again, the defence was very strong and Frank felt that the things that were constantly being practised in training were now being acted out on the pitch. The winning run was now up to four and we were still climbing the table.

On the 15th February we were home to Bedford and avenged our away defeat to them with a (19-14) win (pictured above). To be honest the Blues didn't play so well in the first half, perhaps a little bit of complacency after the recent wins? Anyway, the half time talk did the job, probably including a rant from James Trevis! A good second half performance secured another win.

On the 22nd February was the chance to complete the double over Sidcup at their ground and extend the winning run to six. What an unlikely dream that would have been early in the season! The Blues turned in one of their best performances of the season to win (17-31). Sidcup is not an easy place to play but the Blues were fired up from the start and the win was comfortable in the end.

The game included a rather unusual try by winger Henry Shiell (picture above). In what was an excellent first season for Henry, he finished the season as top try scorer with eight tries, he had made lots of mazy runs. In the second half Henry did his twinkle toes bit but having beaten all the opposition then tripped himself up. Not to worry, the move continued and about a minute later it was Henry who crossed the line with a huge grin on his face! The only downer of the game was when Dave Mac who had earlier scored a super try suffered a nasty cut to a knee that was likely to rule him out for the rest of the season. It had been a really impressive first season for Dave.

Six wins on the bounce, could we make it seven against Wimbledon in what would turn out to be our last game of the season? After a weather postponement, the final game was at home to Wimbledon on the 7th March and the Blues lost a tight game (22-25 pictured above). To be fair to Wimbledon, the win was deserved mainly due to their very impressive pack but we had shown again that we could compete with any team in the League. The Blues had made a valiant attempt to make it seven successive wins but it was not to be.

The team ended the season in ninth place and had a realistic chance of finishing seventh if the season had been completed. This is a real achievement having been bottom of the League after six games. We can now look forward to next season in the London and South East Premier League with confidence. On reflection, it has been quite a rollercoaster of highs and lows, a very exciting season and it’s a huge shout out to the players and coaching staff for turning things around.

Life for all of us is very difficult right now, with Rugby along with all other sport on the backburner. Hopefully things will improve soon but, in the meantime, I hope that this report will give cheer to those of you who read it. To all of you from me and all at Brighton Rugby Football Club, keep well and stay safe.

A big thanks to Dave Beech for capturing all the action with his camera throughout the season. I speak for us all when I say the photos are invaluable and a fantastic record of the Blues' matches.

Here's to next season...

2019/20 Supporter's Player of the Season
At the end of each game supporters can vote on their man of the match, 3 points for best player, 2 points for 2nd best player and 1 point for 3rd best player. You can vote by direct messaging @BrightonBlues on twitter or speaking to whoever is running the twitter account on match day.

2019/20 Player Appearances

2019/20 Top Try Scorers

2019/20 Kicking Stats

2019/20 Season Results  

2019/20 League Table