Anyone got any fingernails left?

We finally did it, we got out of our hole with a hard fought win at Aberavon yesterday.  It was great to see so many Neath fans in the ground, easily outnumbering the Aberavon support.

But the true heroes were on the pitch.  Each player put in a tremendous amount of work.  They weren’t about to let this great club be relegated without a fight.

I won’t single out any player as each one gave everything and it is to their credit that, instead of disappearing into the changing rooms at the end of the game, they came back over to the terrace to thank the fans for their support.

But thank us for what? We did the easy bit. We stood and shouted.  It wasn’t us putting our bodies on the line and getting battered and bruised each week.  That thanks should go to the players, coaches and medical staff.

The players showed the fighting spirit that Neath was once synonymous with.  The grit, determination and never say die attitude shown by the players yesterday and last Tuesday was fantastic.

What this result, and the one against Pontypridd has shown us, is that this squad has a tremendous amount of potential.  If we can hang on to the majority of them over the summer, then I firmly believe that we’ll be back at the right end of the table next year.

One final word for Gareth Gravell.  He announced on Twitter after the game that, after 7 years and 200 games for the club that he would be retiring (again!).  A tremendous leader who led the club through some difficult times.  Whilst they played in different eras, his tough, no-nonsense approach is very reminiscent of the great Brian Williams and Kevin Philips.  There can be no greater complement than to be compared to those two icons.  Thanks for everything Grav.