| Match Report |
01.02.20
Hockey Match report
South Notts Ladies 1st XI v Arnold 1st XI
Captain Bethany Marshall led out our team of university students and teenagers (except for Elizabeth Turner standing sentry in our goal (“they shall not pass” and they didn’t).
No Jo Shaw, no Caroline Brackenbury, no Katrina Blunden, no Louise Price, no Julie Whalley. How would this young team cope without them? Brief answer. Brilliantly.
The Team welcomed Fiona Sweetman for her first full League Match for the club. She was set in defence with instructions to help clear away attacks and to use her speed to support midfield. With what confident assurance did Fiona do exactly that, and so well.
Alongside Eleanor Wallace (Rock of Gibraltar) and Alice Hounslow (Rock of the Pyrenees) the three of them sternly dominated our defence area. And what else by now, do we expect?
Midfield, India Clark ran her inspiring control to supply our forwards with shrewd, accurate passes. Outside her at different times, were Becky Lindley, Poppy Scothern, Ruby Ryan, and Sophie Runciman demonstrating their astonishing speeds and skills.
In particular each cleverly shimmered out into perceived unoccupied spaces on the touchlines to receive passes. They were thus able to keep feeding our forwards on the wings with lots of subtle, creative passes to enable them to scamper round the back of the Arnold defence.
Up front were Bethany Marshall, Emma Turner, Abbie Rimmington and Izzy Brackenbury. These were pre-occupied in trying to penetrate the solid Arnold defence but it was brick wall time.
The reason that this was initially unsuccessful was that our Team spent long periods of clever, beautiful, artistic, possession -hockey. Much to admire, but it lacked the Bite to attack Arnold’s goal.
Izzy Brackenbury decided it was time to keep a Brackenbury name on the score sheet and in a confusing melee in the Arnold goal, craftily slipped the ball over their goal line. 1-0. Hurrah.
At half-time Captain Beth gave us a pep talk to remind us of the urgent need to translate superior possession into superior goals.
Beth then showed the way by her own penetrating goal and this 2-0 really galvanised the Team.
Up front, Abbie Rimmington and Emma Turner on the wings moved into hard-running overdrive. Passing their markers on the outside , taking the ball to the Arnold base line and cutting it back for scoring opportunities. Emma crisply nailed one, and not to be left behind, India Clark drilled one home to make it 4-0.
Did all this mean that Arnold spent all their time defending? Certainly not.
Eleanor, Alice and Fiona were persistently moving up in powerful support of our midfield. If needed, racing back to cover the frequent Arnold breakaway counter-attacks.
Some even got as far as Elizabeth Turner, who not only demonstrated her experience but also her athletic ability. Indeed one of her many spectacular saves, required her, memorably, to dive across the goal mouth , reaching out with her stick, as she tumbled, to send the ball out to the wing. For anyone else, unbelievable; for Elizabeth, just the way she plays.
Scoreline 4-0.
Season’s league match stats to date, Played 11, Won 11, Goals for 56, and against, 8.
South Notts Ladies are top of our League division.
Coach’s tips
1.Defence should not commit to a tackle too early without knowing back-up cover is in place. Make certain of 60/40 balls but be careful of 50/50 unless they are really at least 51/49 in our favour.
2. When wrong-side tackling, hold the stick in the left hand and reach round without touching or barging the opponent. Holding the stick in the right hand, will almost certainly lead to an umpire’s whistle for shoulder-barging .
3. Do not forget that admirable possession-hockey should be focussed on leading to scoring goals, not just pretty and thoughtful intelligent passing.
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