Ladies 1st XI Vs Newark 3's

19.09.20  South Notts Ladies 1st XI  v Newark  3rd XI    lost 0-1

Eleanor Wallace,  back as  1st XI Captain,  gathered together her team for the first  match of the new season. We all missed summer evening hockey very much, but enjoyed seeing familiar faces again. 

Vice-Captain Jo Shaw was also welcomed on the touchline, still off as a result of injury but back soon, we hope.  Club Chairman Simon Recaldin turned out to give his support, plus a number of family supporters who were all providing a suitable Wall of Sound, very very welcome.

Eleanor welcomed a new player joining us, Freya Beaumont, speedy and skilled, and fitted in superbly. Well done, Freya. 

Eleanor also welcomed back the doughty defender Mel Park after a season’s absence. I don't know precisely what effect Mel has upon the opposition, but when I see her moving into a defending tackle, she can scare me!  And I am only on the touchline!

Without summer evening hockey, we missed not only our camaraderie but also the team routines and subtle team adjustments during a match, and honing our flexibility to meet these as necessary. Individual skills are undiminished, individual speeds are great, (seeing Ruby Ryan and Abbie Rimmington at full speed are  lessons to us all)  what was missing was recent match practice.

Some of us know what happens when a director leaves and a new one comes on the company board or a change in members of a club’s small committee. A change of group psychology and reactions.

Our TEAM did brilliantly  v Newark  despite the normal change in group psychology.    New team Captain Eleanor, Mel Park back, and Freya joining us, all great but no recent match battles for the rest of us to hone and polish our positional play.  A Non-League Friendly.  But always highly competitive, in a great spirit.

I believe that Newark did have some better access to a training pitch during the summer   which put them (in the very short term) a few days ahead of us in positional play.

It was our positional play that was creaky at the start of the season. Quite understandably, it is not a long term problem, but no more than a bit creaky on day 1.  Our TEAM  did really well.

And moreover, our TEAM overcame successfully the problems caused by Covid19 social distancing rules before and after the match, and at halftime.

Newark opened up with a prepared drill to attack our South Notts goal, foiled, and we roared straight back upfield with plans of our own.   Foiled, too. Both keepers were clearly on topmost form and stayed that way.

The play rocked back and forth with very evenly balanced sides, and all to play for.  Pressure was stepped up by both teams.  Arms and legs were getting tired. 

What does our TEAM  need to do to improve?  One issue to remember next match is for wing-halves and wing-forwards to stay wide, stretching the opposition. South Notts  were bunching in the middle, creeping  inwards to look for a pass, and so being double-marked.  No-one regularly wide for our living legends Caroline Brackenbury   and Katrina Blunden, (who both played ‘out of their skins’), to pass to.

All midfielders always have a problem of needing to be up supporting our brilliant and speedy forward line,  and at the  very same time, being back supporting our defenders. 

Our TEAM did very well  v Newark  on all  counts but Newark’s  lurking centre forward  next to Elizabeth Turner kept  pulling back one of our  defenders. Dangerous.

All defenders and sweeper always have a similar problem, but further back in the field of play. The midfielders need to know that long balls banged wildly out of the opposition defence will be cut off by our defenders before the opposition forwards get a stick to them. Sometimes there was too much of a gap between our midfielders and forwards, and between our midfielders and defenders.

And what about our wonderful keeper, Elizabeth Turner? Newark kept peppering her with crafty shots but despite her Newark shadow, she treated them all the same way, sending them back with increasing vigour “to think again”. Sadly, one of their touches very late on, trickled over our goal line. 

Overall, our TEAM should feel hugely encouraged for our successful prospects in this higher Division.

We have the individual skills and speed. We have the knowledge. We have the core of last season’s highly successful team in place.

Newark won by only a lucky fraction and when we get our TEAM operating in smooth unison, as we did during last season, South Notts Ladies may well become unstoppable.   YET AGAIN.

Let us go for it!

Thanks to Andy Wallace for umpiring. 

South Notts 0  – Newark 1.