Maynard lauds Cov's growing mental strength after ND1 win.

AFTER spending the first section of the National One season trying to find the right physical tools for his rebuilt Coventry team, Phil Maynard believes his side have started the second part of their campaign by demonstrating they have the requisite mental strength.

Cov won for the fifth time in six games when they beat Sedgley Park at home on Saturday thanks to a try brace from prop Tom Warren and once apiece for fellow forwards Brett Daynes and Sam Herrington.

But the game was far closer than the 25-19 scoreline suggests and even though they Cov led from the third minute, Park were rarely more than a score adrift and finished the game near the hosts’ line.

Fortunately for Maynard the Blue and Whites held firm and set in the wider context of a battling performance, Maynard sees that as a sign his side is growing stronger as a unit.

“It was a game we would have lost three months ago, without any doubt whatsoever,” the director of rugby claimed. “But we have developed a bit of bottle and the know how to win tight games which, judging by the evidence of this division, is only going to serve us well.

“It’s even important to have just recognised the fact we have got to battle when the conditions are difficult and the opposition are putting pressure on us.

“We know now there are going to be mistakes and tough times in games but we also know when we apply ourselves we can come through them. That’s a vital thing for a young team to understand.”

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