3-2 win against a strong Spencer team. BU14A are top of the League going into Christmas for the second year running.
After a 1-1 draw earlier in the season the rematch vs our local rivals was always going to be a tough battle and so it proved. Despite a pre match talk that focused on ball retention and concentration, we were caught in possession in our 23 early in the match and Spencer took advantage with a well taken goal. This was the wake up call we needed and we started to play much better hockey, using the width well and playing some good passing hockey that soon forced a short corner of our own. Henry converted from the top of the D with a shot that was deflected in. Levelling what until then had been a game where we had been under a lot of pressure gave the boys a lot of confidence and we soon launched another good attack with a ball down to Jack on the right who drove into the D and played the ball across for Charlie to cooly beat the keeper in the bottom right hand corner. This galvanised Spencer who then had a series of attacks of their own and several short corners with Stan pulling off a great save high to his left to keep us ahead but eventually the pressure told with the Spencer centre forward dribbling through two of our defenders to slot the ball past Stan’s left foot and the teams went into the 2nd break all square at 2-2 (we were playing 3 periods of 20 minutes each).
A draw would have been a fair result, certainly as far as the stressed parents and coaches on both teams were concerned but the final period was again end to end and with 2 minutes to go Finbar and Joe had some great interplay on the right of the opposition D before Joe was put through with just the keeper to beat which he did with a well taken scoop from 5 yards out.
Thanks to Lead Coach Adrian Darley for the report.