Blues face up to changes for Ivybridge visit

Backs reshuffle needed for home return after derby defeat

NEWBURY BLUES bid to shake off last week’s first South West Premier League defeat of the season when they face Devon side Ivybridge at Monks Lane on Saturday.

That 16-15 derby setback at Bracknell caused some midweek tweaking at training, and head coach Lee Goodall hopes that it have a good long-term effect on his side.

“We look back on this and think that potentially it was the best thing to happen to us and kept us grounded,” he said.

“We’ve worked on things to iron it out and now we have to bounce back this weekend and put in a performance we know we can, just to right the wrongs and get ourselves back on track.”

Ivybridge recorded their first win of the season last week after two defeats, albeit to early high-flyers Dings Crusaders and Exmouth.

“They are a bit of an unknown quantity, like many are to us in this league,” said Goodall, who faces having to re-shape the side this week with a number of players unavailable

Toby Pearce, Jamie Futcher, Josh Love, Ollie Spanswick and Ryan Trevaskis are all unavailable, while Conor Segre fractured a shoulder bone on Ealing Trailfinders academy duty and Grant Broome-Edwards, on the verge of a first XV call-up, is out for up to 10 weeks with a broken collarbone.

Alex Millar scored for the Stags in their win over Amersham and Chiltern and is set to step in up front while Goodall and his team reshape the backs division.