Ladies 1s
Almost forgot to post that we lost 0-3 to top of the league Crostyx. They came with a strong squad of 15. Our 12 players battled hard but we just didn’t get our act together today.
MoM Lydia
DoD Faith for missing a sitter
Men’s 1s
Match postponed
Ladies 2s
To follow
Men’s 2s
An unbelievable solo effort from Imran Arshad saved us from a whitewash against Wapping yesterday. They were very good. We were decent until we fell apart in the second half. 5-1.
Well done to MOM: Nathanael Last
Tom Lowe was POP
Ladies 3s
The Ladies 3s travelled a short distance to East London. With East London being top of the table and us 10th, we still went out fighting. In the first half East London scored 6 goals against us and 4 in the second half with us scoring none and the final score being 10-0 to East London. Despite losing 10-0 we played brilliantly as they had about 30-40 shots on goal. I got voted player of the match with Charlotte, Jane and Rindi getting one vote each.
Men’s 3s
Where to start on today. Oh I know… The beginning! Forest had a very strong team today, possibly one of the strongest we have had all season, it was quite some spectacle, one of which the youth of today would call “jolly well instagramable”.
The game started off well, the passing was GORGEOUS and most of the attacking was inside the D that Wapping were defending. Attempt after attempt, dribble after dribble, tekker after tekker, we just couldn’t nip the ball into the back of Wapping’s vulnerable net. Half time commenced, liquefied H-O-H bonds were quenching our thirsts, and after a somewhat positive Half-Time team talk, we went back out of the changing rooms, past the 60,000 odd crowd, and onto the pitch.
The second half started just as the first did… by a whistle being blown. There were many reverse sticks going on, and aerial passes with huge gradients, granted most of them by John, who had a blinding game, as did the rest of the team! After some silky skills from Joe, some top turns from Rob and some crafty cut-ins from Dan, a short corner was to commence from a bit of nifty work from Slack-Attack (copyright © Tim Slack 2016). Our famous “number one” worked a treat with Tim or Me (I like third person) slotting it to Paul who so gracefully tucked it away. All was going well, until Wapping started playing hockey again and scored one goal which, to be fair, was a good short corner routine. Many a battle had been fought, but like the 600 men in the battle of Balaclava, we rode into some heavy artillery and, well, another shot from a corner had unfortunately escaped the grasp of Steve “Buffon” Hare. 2-1 to Wapping. And with our valiant effort came no reward, but alas there were many positives to take from the game. Quoting Ghandi; “The lads played superb hockey but lost. At the end of the day, we have to put our chin up and look to the next game.”
MOM: Kieran, for some Chiellini-like defending, and for doing the smoothest turn on a Wapping striker. He turned him so badly the guy should have just hung his stick up and walked home.
POP: Matt, despite his great game…. SYKE!!! He snaked the squad for a honeymoon. MEGA FINES!!
Ladies 4s
Somehow, 13 players including a goalkeeper made it to the pitch at Lee Valley for our 2.30pm game against second-in-the-league Crostyx today.
With Minty in goal for the very first time ever and no time to warm up, we went out with the main aim of “keeping them out of the D”. We did this with aplomb – our passing was fluid and we held our positions well, giving us some great chances to push up. However, late in the first half Crostyx managed a very scrappy goal, putting them 1-0 ahead at half time.
We started the second half a little confused (mainly due to my brilliant-in-principle-but-flawed-in-practice plan to switch everyone’s positions). Fortunately, our defenders did an excellent job nonetheless and Minty made a couple of lovely saves. Another messy goal from Crostyx put us 2-0 down, though, and the fact we haven’t played in two months started to show. We still managed some great runs but didn’t really get another chance on goal. Crostyx scored a belting goal from a short corner, leaving the final score at 3-0 to Crostyx.
I can’t thank everyone enough for today. Special mentions to Minty for stepping up as goalkeeper and doing a cracking job, and Rosemarie for helping direct subs and providing the keeper’s kit.
MOM: Sarah, who kindly stepped up from the Ladies 5s at the last minute, for some excellent defending and always being in the right place.
DOD: Rosemarie, for arriving fashionably late and creating dramatic tension, making us think that we’d have to put Minty in the goal without a kit on. How we laughed.
Men’s 4s
The Men’s 4s travelled up the A12 to fellow promoted side Chelmsford 4s
On the back of two defeats and our league very, very, tight where anyone can beat anyone on their day, and only a few points separating 4th from the bottom, as a team we know we are in a dog fight to meet the season’s objective, of consolidating our position in Div 6 SE.
After a strong pre match rally cry, imploring us to play for the whole 70 minutes and be more clinical in front of goal, away we went.
To the teams credit, we were at the races, from second one, strong determined committed and playing the style of hockey, that has become the Men’s 4s trademark this season, fast expansive fluid hockey.
Within 10 minutes after a sweeping move the ball went loose in the D, and fell to Oliver Loessl who finished superbly with a reverse stick strike, 1-0 to Forest.
We continued to dominate proceedings, and following another flowing, yours truly made a late run into the D, beautifully found by Martin Hands-Clarke but, still with much to do, nipped it around the keeper, and as the keeper took me down, on the floor managed to scoop the ball over a defenders stick into an empty net, 2-0 Forest, and no more than we deserved.
2 soon become 3, as again after some more quality play, Frank Dijkstra found himself in acres of space in the D, and finished with aplomb, to give us a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.
We then got very sloppy giving, the ball away cheaply and in very dangerous area of the pitch. Having said that we were defending manfully, we also had to defend a string of short corners, which we did successfully. Unfortunately right on the stroke of HT, giving the ball away carelessly cost us a goal.
So HT 3-1 Forest, and we hydrated and replenished, we spoke about the sloppiness of the last 10 minutes of the half, and also the fact that when we met earlier in the season, we were 3-0 down and managed to get a 3-3 draw, so the game was far from over.
Unfortunately, the words went unheeded, and we continued with our lethargic sloppy play to start the 2nd half.
And after another mistake in our own third of the field, this time by myself, it was 3-2 and the pressure was on. Again the opposition had a string of shorts which we defended, with some fantastic goal line clearances by our MOTM.
We were under pressure, but as I looked around, my players were still confident, still working hard, and more importantly their heads didn’t drop, and their belief was still high.
We weathered the storm regained our composure and our momentum.
We started to play again and after another brilliant move, Parvin Singh restored our 2 goal lead, 4-2 Forest. That goal was very important, as it broke our opponents. We dominated the remainder of the game, creating chances, and from a final short corner, Parvin made it 5-2 with a strike that went right under the body of the keeper.
Much needed and much deserved win. Still in a dog fight to secure our position in the division next season, it with this win we can go into our last 8 games full of confidence.
If we play with the style and application we did yesterday, in those 8 games, the hockey gods will hopefully, shine down on us, and we will collect enough points to meet our season objective.
MOTM Ian Bennett- Some brilliant last gasp defending on his own goal line, and his general all round play was superb.
Goal Scorers:
Oliver Loessl
Gary Joy
Frank Dijkstra
Parvin Singh (2)
Well played yesterday guys you were fantastic, let’s take this momentum into our following games, starting with back to back games, at Lee Valley.
Ladies 5s
To follow
Men’s 5s
No game
Otters
Opposition conceded. Win 5-0
