New Spalding RFC skipper Sam Cooke admits that this season is all about consolidation for his side.
One of the best periods in Town’s history came to an abrupt end last year, when the successful team broke up and suffered a torrid time of it in Midlands One East.
Relegation to Midlands Two East (North) followed, but Spalding have been working overtime during the summer months to rediscover their lost pride.
Cooke, who is 25, admits to being a little daunted by the task of leading the club’s next chapter from the front. But he’s determined to bring the good times back to the Memorial Field – and has targeted a top five finish this season.
“I’ve really enjoyed the challenge so far,” admitted Cooke. “But it has been a bigger task than I imagined and is a little daunting at times.
“It is a massive honour for me at this stage of my rugby career, but it’s not a challenge I intend to fail.
“Last year was obviously very tough for all involved. But I think any side in any sport would struggle if it lost 11 players from a team that delivered promotion the year before.
“This year is all about rebuilding, consolidating and getting back that feeling of being proud to wear the Spalding shirt.
“Over the past ten years or so the club has been probably playing higher than ever before in its history. All good periods have to end and that’s what we’ve been through.
“The aim for this season is to finish in the top five and lay some foundations for the future.”
Town, who are still led by vastly experienced head coach Ben Williams, begin their new era with a trip to old foes Coalville on Saturday (3pm).
It’s one of the tougher fixtures Cooke and his charges could have drawn, with the Leicestershire side finishing second behind promoted Matlock in the same league last year.
Spalding got a little taste of the standard last Saturday, having been beaten 27-12 by divisional rivals Stamford in the NLD Cup.
Cooke felt a little disappointed by the result, considering Town earned a huge win over their Lincolnshire rivals the last time they met.
He’s expecting another tough game at Coalville this weekend, but wants them to return home with points on the board – be it by winning or bagging bonus points.
“It’s always tough to win away,” added Cooke. “The last time we played at this level, we made our home ground a fortress.
“That’s something we’ll look to do again, but we can’t just settle for that. I want us to take something from every game and collect as many bonus points as we can.
“The Stamford game was disappointing. I thought we showed them too much respect, which was a hard thing to take. Hopefully things will change when we next meet. Coalville will be a tough game, it always is with their big pack. But we’re coming off a fantastic summer and have a great pool of players to pick from.”
George Brown and James West are both injured and miss the opener. But ex-skipper Harry Sharman, who scored two tries on his return at Stamford, is fit to feature.
Cooke admits that having Sharman back is a “huge boost” for the club ahead of what promises to be an exciting season.
