For their last game of the season and the last in the South League, Ashford had to make the long journey to northern Oxfordshire to play South League newcomers Banbury on Saturday morning. The Red & Blacks struggled to get a full team out and student goalkeeper SAM GRANT was called up to make her debut, whilst Coach ‘BOB’ THORNALLEY again had to play and even team manager LYNNE MORGAN was pulled in as substitute, so that the squad had at least twelve players.In warm conditions, Ashford were immediately put under pressure as the young Banbury team attacked from the push off, and pinned back the rather disorganised Ashford defence in their own goalmouth. Unfortunately the pressure told and they notched two well worked goals from open play in the first two minutes of the game. They followed the goals up with a short corner, which although they got the ball in the back of the net once more, the shot was too high and disallowed. Despite being 2-0 up, Banbury continued to dominate the play and added another goal, again from open play, after thirteen minutes to take a 3-0 lead. Marshalled by Coach BOB THORNALLEY and with keeper SAM GRANT becoming more dominant in the circle, Ashford slowly then got into the game. Midfielders LAURA SAMOUEL and SAM KENDALL were working hard and combining well in midfield to set up some attacks, and after twenty three minutes of play the Red & Blacks secured a long corner but were unable to penetrate the Banbury goal from it. In fact the home team immediately swept down the pitch and attacked the Ashford goal, and despite the Red & Blacks keeper SAM GRANT making a couple of good initial saves, they added two more goals in quick succession to put them 5-0 up and the game beyond the reach of Ashford. Further pressure from the home side just before the end of the half, led to them scoring two further, well taken goals to make the score line 7-0 at half time.After a motivating team talk from their Coach, the Red & Blacks came out more organised in the second half and despite conceding an early goal to go 8-0 down, they played a lot better. They created some good moves, but weren’t able to really put the opposition goalkeeper under any pressure. Unfortunately injuries to both midfielders LAURA SAMOUELS and TRACEY HOLLAND at different stages in the second half meant that and veteran substitute LYNNE MORGAN had to be pressed into action for most of the second half. The Red & Blacks continued to work hard as the game progressed, with youngsters ELLIE ASHFORD HODGES, LIV YOUNG and ANNA PROTHOROE all doing well. The home team got rather frustrated at Ashford’s improved play and for twenty minutes of the second half they failed to add to their goal tally. However, in the closing eight minutes Banbury scored form two short corners to make the final result a convincing victory by 10 goals to nil. Ashford’s player of the match was fittingly Coach BOB THORNALLEY in what was her last game for the club after a six year coaching spell when she helped to take the Club to the highest level they have ever played at. It will be Middlesex Premier League hockey for Ashford again next season as they endeavour to regroup and rebuild after very an extremely hard season.Team:S Grant (GK), T Holland, E Hynes (Captain), L Morgan, A Protheroe, O Young, H Hull, E Ashford-Hodges, H Siwek, H Thornalley, L Samouels, S Kendall
