Match report : Jo Price
Result : WIN 1-0 vs Letchworth O45s
| Every match seems to have a story this season. A big shout out to Captain Lynn Bryden who has had her patience tried in ensuring that any of the Flutes games actually happen this year. After being forced to move yet another game we finally took to the pitch on a bright but bitterly cold afternoon to face Letchworth, who were an unknown quantity to us. We welcomed BTH recruits Claire and Andrea for their first taste of ‘senior’ hockey and we could tell from the off that we were in for a battle. Early doors the home side found themselves pinned in their defensive half but did well to maintain their composure and as everyone ‘warmed’ to the task displayed some strong passing to gain the upper hand and press hard on the opposition goalmouth. From the back it was hard to see how we didn’t score with the ball pinging off the post, one pulled wide and the GK miraculously scrambling the ball off the line, but still no goal. Letchworth now began attacking down the right creating a moment of levity when a ball struck hard on the diagonal and destined only for the large pile of leaves in the corner appeared to turn from pink to white during the search but was eventually recovered. Within minutes the ball was back in the Flutes’ attacking circle and this time, with a concerted push, Jennie was able to find a small window to poke the ball across the line for her “first goal in about 10 years” and we went to the break 1-nil up. The second half proved a tense affair with the opposition intent on redressing the balance and several moments of minor drama ensued. The visitors were hustling and driving to create some chances to equalise but our mids and defence worked tirelessly to deny them any real shooting chances and things became a little feisty on both sides culminating in Sarah making a diving tackle and both players ended on the ground. At this point there was a short stoppage for the game to re-set. After this minor debacle the visitors gained their first PC with Kathy making a fantastic block from a hard strike and we found ourselves on the attack again, Sarah making a couple of signature runs through he middle and Andrea just failing to find an angle from the right. As the time ticked on Letchworth became increasingly desperate to score. There was a fair amount of physicality and several complaints to the umpire but the Flutes held firm and were not to be denied. It was a somewhat scrappy but full-blooded encounter – never let it be said that Masters hockey is taken lightly. This was a hard fought victory and good all-round team performance and best of all we march on to the next round of the Plate. Well done us! MVP was Sarah with Jo P a close runner-up. |