6-1 win finds Marlbourgh 2s on the verge of promotion

So to the business end of the season – prior to the game the 2’s now needed 4 points from 4 games to achieve promotion (no talk about winning the league!) Today we welcomed Chippenham. Any game against Chippenham is a tough game and always throws up many surprises, as you are never sure what sort of team you will face on the day - last season, whilst bottom of the league they beat us 1-0 to avoid relegation. Well today, all the surprises were of our own doing:

* Dan Crossman refusing to pass to Keith Radnedge !

* Nat Clarke scoring two amazing goals

* Dan still refusing to pass to a screaming Keith !

* Justin Metcalfe ONLY scoring two goals

* Dan definitely refusing to pass to an increasingly agitated Keith, wide open in acres of space at the top of the D ! (PS – We have not heard the last of this !)

Today saw the return of our 3 key marksman: Keith Radnedge (!), Mark Ramage and Justin Metcalfe (Mark & Justin returning from the dizzying heights of the 1’s! Keith returning from Manchester). The pre-match preparation had a familiar feel about it from a few weeks back - Ed text to Andy “I will be late”. Ed, once again (with us all in mind) was running around shopping and cooking the post match teas, whilst also organising the Club Social Wine Tasting evening. (Big thanks to Charlotte as well).

Whilst Ed was away cooking, and a chill wind was blowing across the pitch, the team slowly and gingerly gathered at the pitch. A “general malaise” was in the air, and the net result was a good old fashioned “warm up” - everyone stand at the top of the D just smashing balls into net - very therapeutic! Once everyone gathered, we snapped out of it - Dan sprinted us round the pitch - and before we knew the game had started.

We started very strongly and it was soon apparent that our high press style and tempo was going to cause Chippenham all sorts of problems and it was clear early on, that this was a game we should win – we just have to score some goals. The first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes were our best periods of the game. Although we won 6-1, it could have been a whole lot more as the best player on the pitch today was the Chippenham teenage goalkeeper – he was outstanding and able to demonstrate the full range of his skills today – he was the busiest player on the pitch today.

The key moments were:

1-0 Mark Ramage flicks into the net from a very tight angle on the right side of the D. The keeper saved twice, including a second shot from Dan Crossman. The ball squirted out to the right where Mark fired it home from a seemingly impossible angle.

2-0 Justin Metcalfe score with a deft glancing dink over the keeper. Nick Jephson passed out to Tristan Norman on the left side of the D and he fired it into the D at the P spot. Justin, as he has been all season, was in the right place at the right time and got his stick down just in front of the low advancing keeper, and over it popped into the goal.

3-0 Dan Crossman went on an amazing run from inside his own half down the right side. He drew 2 midfielders and charged passed them, dribbled round the covering defenders, kept tight to touch line, beat another 2 defenders at the goalline, drove into the D along the goal line – by which time every Chippenham player had lined up to chop down Dan! Mean while Keith Radnedge had time to sniff a goal from 50 yards and sprinted (!) forward and found himself at the top of the D all alone – screaming, begging, demanding the ball ! Dan heard Keith (we all heard Keith!), Dan saw Keith (We all saw Keith!) - Dan after beating all 20 outfielders (as is his right and want) shot at goal – SAVED . NO GOAL – it should have been 3-0, Score remained 2-0 .

3-0 Nat Clarke finishes off an excellent goal. This was “proper” hockey – quick, fast flowing, attacking hockey and deserving of a classy finish from Nat. Alex Davies (who had another very good game today ) won the ball, drove forward, and moved it quickly to Justin, who turned and laid it off to Nat sprinting through into the D and Nat calmly flicked it over the keeper and into the net.

3-1 Chippenham scored against the run of .....everything ! Mark Ramage, whilst carving through the midfield, was tackled with a large size 10 Chippenham boot. It is rumoured, that the Chip midfielder quickly transferred the ball from his left foot to his right and arrowed forward with his instep towards the D (it was a good pass !). Meanwhile, Marlborough were transfixed and visibly paralysed (think Easter Island!) by “Diego Costa’s” quick feet and speed of thought, and could only watch as the Chip striker (aka Aguero) thundered the shot home with the outside of his foot. All metaphors and literal analogies are highly intentional !

HALF TIME 3-1 Up. Message to all. Keep playing the way we are and let the Chippenham left and right back have as much of the ball as they like - and then we will hound them in a pack !

4-1 Nat Clarke scores. From over 30 yards out, the goal took less than a second ! The Chippenham keeper continued to make a string a fantastic saves and it would take something special to beat him. Enter Nat (again !), who scored his second and our best goal of the day. Ed Watson smashed the ball into the D from well outside the 25 and Nat Clarke, sprinting across the top of the D, got his stick to the ball (amazing in itself it was moving so fast!) and glanced it to the near post from 12 yards. The ball thundered against the back board.

5-1 Ed Watson scores after some fine work by Dan Crossman again. Dan Crossman once again beat several defenders, drove into D along the goal line (a repeat of the 3-0 goal that was not a goal !), got his head up looking for Keith. Keith knowing his chances of receiving a pass from Dan today were slim, had remained at the half way line ! Instead Dan picked out Ed in acres of space and Ed slotted home into an empty net.

Ed, buoyed on by his goal, continued to find himself with lots of time and space in the D and he will dine out on the best goal of his life that never was. He smashed a ball from the top left of the D and it struck the join of the cross bar and post with such power that it rebounded and landed outside the D, one bounce and into touch. We were not sure who was more surprised, Ed, for generating such an amazingly powerful shot, or the rest of the team, for Ed generating such an amazingly powerful shot ! The best goal of the day, that never was. (afternote – by the End of the wine tasting evening, it was the best goal of Ed’s life, that never was!)

6-1 Justin Metcalfe scores his second (now 21 goals for the 2’s this season?). Ed smashed it forward (Ed’s passing range at this point only consisted of a smash!) to Dan in the D. Dan turned sharply, got his shot away, shot saved, and Justin, like the expert predator his is, was on hand to put away the rebound.

Overall, this was another all round strong team performance, which is best summarised by a comment from the Chippenham Captain half way through the second half after we went 5-1 up, when he said “you [Marlborough] are too good for this league !” Let’s hope we can keep this up through to the end of the season.

Moment of the Match – The best tackle of the day executed by Mark Salvidge on Dan Crossman – showing the whole Chippenham team how to tackle Dan Crossman ! Mark and Dan both chased down a ball, to stop the young teenage Chippenham winger getting to it first. Mark got there first (he outsprinted Dan ! – over 6 feet !), completely wiped out Dan and bundled him into touch - both were left sprawled on the floor as, the little kid ran off with the ball!

MAN OF THE MATCH – NAT CLARKE. Again it could have been anyone across the team, as they all played their part. But there will be no complaints about Nat Clarke being rewarded for his overall dynamic play and two excellent goals.

AFTERNOTE – HUGE THANK YOU to ED WATSON (& Charlotte) for organising an excellent wine drinking (!) night (well supported by the 2’s team ) up at the clubhouse . This is the same clubhouse, where, if you listen carefully, you can still hear Keith screaming for a pass from Dan !