All good things must come to an end and our league unbeaten streak did so at the hands of AFC Hornchurch at home on Saturday afternoon. It was by no means a vintage Darts performance and we were poor for large periods of the game but in a way perhaps it may signal a mental turning point for us this season.
Gone is the pressure of having to win every game which could be interpreted as a bad thing by some but in my opinion sometimes the pressure can get to you. I stopped playing football last year but the season before last, i was lucky enough to be captain of a team that lost only twice the entire season on our way to the Bexley C Division East U15 title :D. It was brilliant for me to be a part of the squad that kept on winning and grinding out results, but sometimes, even subconsciously, an air of invincibility crept into our minds and whenever we came against a team who were up for it from the off and put us under real pressure, we tended to panic. We weren't supposed to lose.
Our first loss taught me a lot. Firstly, that mental preparedness plays a huge part in determining the result of a game. A team who are 150% fired up for a game have got a better chance of winning in my opinion than a better team who are only 50% up for it. Secondly, a loss gives you a chance to really appreciate a victory the next time around and in a way, helps you to reset your mind. Thirdly and finally, a loss isn't the worst thing in the world. It has to happen to someone and undoubtedly it will happen to you, the main thing is to shake it off, learn from your mistakes and get back to winning ways.
Lest we forget, we are still top of the league, with the best squad in the league, the biggest fan base in the league and the best stadium in the league. I'd say we've still got a lot going for us :)
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