Karen Dent is realistic over Plymouth Marjon's promotion chances
PLYMOUTH Marjon coach Karen Dent has conceded her team will probably not be pushing for promotion this season.
The city side have made a healthy start in Regional Two after being relegated last season.
Marjon have won one, lost one and drawn one – their latest result a 49-49 draw at Gloucestershire outfit Hucclecote.
That match put Marjon on the shoulders of Pinehurst – this weekend's opponents – and a top-four place.
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However Dent, after last season's struggle in Regional One – which is one step below national-level netball – is not prepared to launch an all-out promotion assault until her squad is ready for it.
The Marjon head coach said: "It was a good result, but we went up with just seven players.
"That means everyone is on the court and you have got nothing on the bench to change the game, should you need to.
"We were pleased to get a draw, but we were a bit disappointed because the game was there to be won."
Teenaged attacker Lydia Holbrook and 16-year-old team-mate and defender Phoebe Thomas received rave reviews from Dent.
She said: "Lydia's shooting was fantastic and though Phoebe's only 16 and has had to move up into the first team because of someone else's injury, it hasn't fazed her at all. She's taking it all in her stride."
Dent added: "It's important to bring young players on, not just for Marjon, but also for Plymouth netball as a whole.
"One day, those players will become coaches and umpires.
"Our aim is to keep bringing the young players through. Obviously, being a university town, we get a lot of students playing netball and we're really pleased to have them here.
"But it is important to develop players who are going to stay here and become the nucleus of the club.
"We want people who were brought up here and if they do leave to go to university or whatever it may be, they will want to come back at some point."
The Marjon head coach said promotion from Regional Two was something for the future.
She said: "If it comes, it comes, but my feeling is that we should try and consolidate the squad first.
"There's little point going up if we're not going to be ready for it.
"Perhaps, when we've got the structure of the side right, we can look at it in two or three years' time."
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