WITH the defeats mounting and the flak flying, Maidenhead RFC coach Simon Edwards considered whether he should step down before last Saturday's clash at Dorchester.
But with a record 65-13 whipping of the league's bottom side, a clearing of the air and a renewed sense of purpose, Edwards will continue to do the job he enjoys for as long as he is allowed to.
And as far as he is concerned, now is not the time to leave.
He said: "I do this job for the enjoyment, but I have to say I have not enjoyed the past few weeks.
"It's been horrible in terms of enjoyment, and I have given serious thought to leaving, but I can't do that."
Wearing his heart on his sleeve he added: "I will not walk away. I have too much loyalty to the players for that.
"The lads have backed me over the years and I intend to back them. We're all in it together.
"When I stop doing this job, I want to leave the club in a comfortable position, not in a situation where the new man is under pressure."
It has not been surprising that the coach has considered his position.
Maids went into this season with new faces, and, once again, hopes high that promotion from South West Division 1 could be a reality.
But just one win in their first four games and the side simple playing below par, and those that are quick to criticise, both inside and outside the club, started popping their heads up from beneath the parapet.
Hopefully Saturday's win will have strengthened their resolve, and a good performance in the rearranged league game against Keynsham at home tomorrow (kick-off 2.30pm) will silence the doubters for a while.
And it is a good win and display that the coach is looking for, if the Dorchester win is not to be considered a high point off the
season.
He said: "What I've been saying to the players is that we are not in a situation where we must win, we are in a situation where we should want to want."
This acknowledges that part of Maids' recent problems have stemmed from their mental approach.
On Saturday at Dorchester this was much improved, allied to some tactical changes and hence so was the result.
"I have to say on Tuesday (before the Dorchester match) we did not train," said Edwards, adding, "We had a constructive meeting,and did a lot of video work."
He continued: "This helped in our approach, and on the Thursday we all knew how we wanted to play and trained accordingly."
The mental approach will be vital against Keynsham tomorrow, and all those present at the abandoned game earlier in the season will remember the life threatening injury sustained to one of the Bristol club's players.
The player is still in hospital.
But the Maids coach will not mention the previous game in his pre-match talk.
He said: "As far as I'm concerned this is a fresh start for us."