4-2 Win as Marlborough (2's) students outshine Bristol Students !

WIN - Marlborough 2’s (4-2) v Bristol UWE A

Marlborough Students outshine Bristol Students !

On a perfect day for hockey, the Mens 2’s took to the pitch, inspired by the Ladies 1’s 4-1 win, and to pre-match cheers when the skipper “ we were resorting back to a 4-3-3 formation – nothing fancy!” The pre-match words of wisdom focussed on “more effort, toughen up and don’t give the ball away”. Today’s squad four youngsters in the team: Jamie Williams, Monty Sofflet, a debut for Henry Nicholson and the ever youthful Rob Hues ! (Magical moments - more of which later !).

The game was evenly matched; Marlborough guile and experience against the youthful exuberance and energy of the Bristol Students. We started well and the new formation with Sam Dawson and Keith Radnedge as centre backs had a much better balance to the defence. We shifted the ball quickly from side to side and through the middle.

1-0 Up. The game was evenly balanced for the first quarter and it took a moment of individual excellence from Gareth Playfair to break the deadlock. He picked the ball up near the top left of the D, cut across the top, to the top right of the D, glided past several defenders, and unleashed an amazing smash, low and hard across the keeper into the bottom left corner. A great goal.
Marlborough were now in the ascendency and surprisingly won our first short corner of the game in the latter part of the first half.

2-0 Up. At our first short corner we finally allowed Keith Radnedge to have a straight strike. Dan Crossman injected, yours truly left it to Keith (wayward pass !) and Keith smashed it, hard and with a small amount of lift to the keepers right. Rads versus Dan goal race for the season is now on !!
3-0 Gareth doubled his score for the day with a shot high into the net. [Apologies - I cant remember the build up, and it wasn’t as good as his first goal - so nothing more to be said !]
We were 3-0 up and playing some excellent hockey, hussling and chasing everything and closing down everything quickly and not giving Bristol much of a chance. But the as the first half drew to a close it was very apparent that Marlborough were tiring, the “Bristol youth” had more energy, and started to catch us on the break.

3-1. During one of these breaks, Bristol drove in the D, fired a low shot , saved by the advancing Rich Newton. The rebound was shot back at goal and Nick Jephson saved it with his stick at shin height, but the ball glanced his leg and the ball was adjudged to be heading in. PENALTY FLICK ! Bristol scored just before half time.
HALF TIME: 3-1. The score felt like it should be more. The chat at half time was all positive, as it was a good even contest and we were playing some very good hockey. More of the same needed in the second half and we came out strong again (Marlborough always good after a rest, drink and oxygen!)

3-2 Bristol caught us again on the break with another cheap short corner. Poor injection, poor trap, chaos, slip left, and somehow the Bristol striker found himself in lots of space to slot the ball home.
A cheap goal to give away, but we did not let our heads drop and continued play some excellent hockey resulting in our best team goal of the season.
We could have gone 4-1 just before they scored as Andy Davidson scored after a snaking run by Gareth down the right, along the byline, but the ball glanced of the defenders foot and the whistle went for a short corner as Andy knocked the ball in. We did eventually score again.

4-2 Up. The ball was switched from the right to the left side through Nick Jephson, to Mike Debdney, to Rich Shuttleworth near the half way, up to Gareth Playfair, on to Jamie Williams just outside the D on the left. Jamie turned the defender, drove in and got his shot away. Henry Nicholson and Dan Crossman were near the back post to get the ball in, but it was Dan Crossman who glanced the goalbound shot in from about 2 inches !! Jamie, you were robbed!

Bristol pushed hard to get back into the game and to be fair to them they continued to threaten on the break. However, Bristol had not accounted for Marlborough’s new secret strategy for the last 10 minutes - Just give the ball to “Rob Hues” !! Some claim the College pitches have not seen such grace and poise since Kate Middleton. On at least four occasions, he got the ball and mesmerised the whole Bristol squad, in fact the whole pitch, with some amazing nifty stick skills, pirouettes, in and out of his legs. No one could get the ball off him, even his own team mates ! Rob - Forget a call up for the 1’s - just go straight to National League !
It remained 4-2 until the end of the game. Only because no-one could get the ball off Rob !
The most pleasing thing about the game was not the result (of course that matters !), but just how buoyant and positive everyone was as we gathered for the post match huddle. You felt like you havd been in a tough and thoroughly enjoyable game. The skipper saved his special “mention in despatches” for the four youngsters (Jamie, Monty, Henry & Rob), who all had really good games.
However, the difference between the two teams today was the…..

MAN OF THE MATCH – Gareth Playfair, not just for his two excellent goals but also for his overall threat and contribution to the game. [keep that body in good order for the rest of the season !]