Weekly Hockey Roundup – Mens’ Teams (31st of January)

This was posted by Lincoln Hockey Club prior to the creation of Lindum Hockey Club

Last Week’s Results

Team	Opposition	Location	Result
Mens 1st Team	Sheffield Hallam 4	Away	Postponed
Mens 3rd Team	Leeds 8	Home	Win 3 – 2
Mens 4th Team	Chapeltown 4	Away	Postponed
Veterans (Sunday)	Huddersfield	Away	Postponed

2nd Team Match Report

The wise mage that is Kevin White of Lincoln Hockey Club has been heard, possibly a few too many times out of necessity, this season using a phrase along the lines of “if we can still pull out a good result after a performance like that, then it isn’t the end of the world”. If there was a dictionary of phrases in existence (and if not then maybe someone should consider compiling one), the definition of that phrase would be the Mens 2nd Team v. Leeds 8 last weekend.

It’s easy to make excuses, so I’m going to do exactly that now. A lack of match fitness and composure in the side (this was our first league game since December), the bittersweet situation – as a captain – of too much availability for a change, and a feeling of complacency in the side following a positive start to the season. With a great many players comes much responsibility. In light of the players available I tried something a bit different in terms of the way we play. It didn’t pay off, in part due to a lack of discipline by certain players who feel that they’re mega-stars rather than members of a single “team”. I take the wrap, though, for the strategy. At least it didn’t cost us points.

At the start of the game, Ben Nicholson featured heavily. First by scoring the only goal in the first twenty minutes and then by donating his face to the cause. A raised ball by a Leeds midfielder was returned via Ben’s top lip that split heavily and made a bit of a mess of the new pitch (don’t tell Jerry!). Peeled off the pitch by his old man, Ray, who was umpiring followed by a trip to A&E and quite a few stitches the following day. Get well soon, Ben.

After Ben went off, we pressed for while with Leeds able to do little more than fire balls over our back line. In the second half, things changed. Leeds pressed, some of us panicked and some displayed the aforementioned complacency. The guy in the captain’s arm-band made an absolute howler of a pass from centre-back to Max Rutherford and right-back, ensuring that it went with so little pace that it could have been outrun even by him! This gave a Leeds forward a goal on a metaphorical silver platter and he duly took it. My apologies, again, to Max and Tom Rounsley in goal. Aside from beating myself up over this, this allowed Leeds back into the game. Whoops.

It took Sadler to make the move from bench-warmer / manager to on-pitch player and try to lift us out of the doldrums. Thankfully this is something that he did very well with Harry Middleton, especially, responding well and building the attack.

A 3-2 win to one of the highest teams in the table against one of the lowest. In the week that commemorated Sir Winston Churchill and Britain’s “Finest Hour” this was certainly not ours. I can’t believe I’ve just compared two such things there. Still, lessons will be learnt, changes will be made and we will come back hungrier and with better displays of hockey.

On a final note I’d like to thank all of the volunteers – many whom didn’t get a game themselves on Saturday – for selflessly volunteering to clear the pitch at the Lindum of snow. I’d also like to thank Geoff Ngoe for acting as ambulance driver as well.