Match Reports
January 22 v Bromley & Beckenham: Won 5-0 (conceded)
With Bromley and Beckenham Hockey Clubs having merged at the beginning of this season, and after the Under 16s Boys League pool matches had been arranged, our opposition clearly preferred their chances better in Pool A, by opting out of our Pool B!
.ergo, they forfeited this game; giving us our second conceded win .. 5-0.
Well played everybody !
December 4 v Holcombe (away) Lost 0-3
Although closely contested throughout, this was another match when we threatened more than we achieved. Opting for caution in the first quarter of the game - to enable us to better assess the quality of the opposition - we were perhaps guilty of being a little too defensive, never really pushing far enough forward in numbers. Play ebbed and flowed, and we had our fair share of short-corner goalscoring opportunities, but the shots on goal were either mis-hit or mis-directed.
0-2 in arrears at the interval, the second period was a virtual stalemate, with neither side ever looking like scoring from open play. In goal, Alex Woods was in commanding form, making a number of fine saves and most ably clearing the lines if there were any defensive lapses. Up front, we were both goal-shy and shot-shy; too often either delaying the killer pass or, worse still, not even giving it.
Holcombe tapped home following a goalmouth melee, just seconds from the end, thus condemning us to a final score of 0-3.
Team: Alex Woods (goalkeeper), Hamza Begg, Ross Wheeler, Edward Wright, Alasdair Wilkins, Arthur Mitchell, Lukas Wong, Josh Orpen-Palmer, Jeremy Higgs, Freddie Neve, Conor Bond, Richard Pagliuca, Liam Wilkinson.
Man of the Match: Alex Woods
November 6 v Marden Russets (away): Won 5-0 (conceded)
Due to their inability to raise a team (they are, apparently, really struggling for players this season), Marden Russets forfeited this game; which, if nothing else, saved us a lengthy journey to Marden! Under the League Rules, we were awarded a 5-0 win.
October 23 v Tunbridge Wells: Lost 2-6
(Daniel Goodwin; Liam Wilkinson)
With a number of boys unable to play because of family and / or School half-term trips abroad - South Africa, in particular, seemed to be a favourite destination - a somewhat weakened squad was assembled to do battle with Tunbridge Wells.
The two Team Managers ( = Jack Davidson and Ben Udy ) did a fine job in preparing the boys for their task: with Ben showing them, by his own example, how to properly warm up for a game; and then Ben and Jack running through assorted set-piece moves / options, for both defence and attack.
Once the game was underway, it was soon clear we might struggle, but resolute defence and any number of fine saves by our goalkeeper Jessica Sellman - who had kindly stepped into the breach whilst Alex Woods was sunning himself in Cape Town - repelled all the opposition sorties. Probably against the run of play, we actually scored first; Daniel Goodwin slamming home his short corner strike with due aplomb. Unfortunately this was merely the prelude to further sustained pressure from Tunbridge Wells, and a couple of defensive mishaps left us trailing 1-2 at the turnaround.
Wise counsel was provided by the Team Managers during the half-time chat, along the lines of "do not panic", try and maintain composure, and to chase the game only as a last resort. However, 1-2 soon became 1-3, courtesy of another miscued clearance; this, in turn, became 2-3, thanks to a trademark Liam Wilkinson effort, as he timed his far-post-run to perfection to tap in from all of eighteen inches. Pushing forward to try and achieve parity we left ourselves vulnerable to the counter-attack, and with ten minutes left we once more found ourselves two goals adrift. The Team Management rightly decided to try and salvage something from the game, and Hamza Begg was duly pushed forward to weave his magic. This might have worked but, within one minute of said change, Stephen Higgs was poleaxed by a blow to the chest from a ball that was lifted sharply, and VERY inaccurately, by one of the Tunbridge Wells forwards' so called attempts at goal. With Stephen off we were down to ten men, and as Hamza urged the troops forward we became ever more stretched at the back. Jessica could do nothing about either of the two goals conceded late on, being thoroughly outnumbered on each occasion.
Men-of-the-Match : A joint award: Jessica Sellman, for her outstanding goalkeeping; and Michael Higgs (aged 11) - whose determination, and ability to do the simple things well - was an example to all the others.
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