M4 vs Cirencester 5
MOM: Matt C
DOD: Fin
This week…showing promise!
This was the first game that came with points, so we needed to turn up today. First generally across the club great availability, keep it going fella’s. And we welcomed Matt C and Will S for Lansdown debuts! And thanks to Phil S for stepping out of the GK coaching role to fill in as GK today.
So I started this week to change the warm up routine for the team, by having a warm up routine Forwards and mids went on organised shot and GK warmup and the defensive team did an exercise to not pass to the opp. so much, you know passing to a person in a YELLOW shirt.
Did it work?
Well, no we were 0-2 down by ½ way through the 1st half, both to goals either on the break against the run of play or weak defending. That’s not say we were not in the game, loads of effort but a bit direct in our attacking play but one or two chance, Ollie went close just pass the post. But I was ready to get out the ‘Going on a bear hunt’ team talks (one of my favourites) i.e. you can’t go through them, you need to go around them!
It wasn’t needed so much, after Tangfastics & Jelly Babies and oranges. It was more of the same, loved the effort, need to mark better in the center mid and build the attacks with passing not running.
This worked, we attacked with purpose and intensity, with a number of goal mouth melee’s that somehow didn’t go in! It seemed all the forwards Fin, Raoul, Ethan all had shots that were either blocked or the GK saved. Multiple short corners which, as always we need more work/practice. However, in one of the goal mouth melee’s Tobias flicked in from close range, to make it 1-2 and we as a team were on the up. The inability to get on level terms and the intensity dropped and on a rare attack from the opp. made it 1-3. Heads did not go down and more attacks and we were getting ½ chances or GK making good saves or just wide. And even a Roual aerial (I think we do one a game and rotate who tries) but we couldn’t find another goal and the stretched play left us gasping at the back and a goal in last few minutes made it 1-4.
The last action was a short and the instruction was keep the ball in play, so Ollie tried to hit the top corner, great ambition but…..
Although the game finished with 1-4 loss, it was a good game of hockey and we took a lot of positives from how we played in patches and the effort was brilliant.
MOM: Tobias – goal and running
Honourable mentions: Matt C – debut performance & Jo P – solid in defence
DOD: Fin – jelly baby consumption and receiving a pass in the D stopping a 2 player overload at the back post.
Dis-honourable mentions: Ollie – giving the ball away from the push back, Mr Kim – default & Tobias – doing an Gandolf “he shall not pass”
So Fin…..
“Needed the energy for all the running I was doing and they tasted very good. And was it was a rebounded shot after they missed”