Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club

Besides the league fixtures already confirmed for the Men and the ladies 3rd team this coming Saturday 14/1/12, there is now an additional fixture at 10.30am at Short Lane, between the Ladies 2nd team and Southgate Ladies 4th team. This is a reaarranged league fixture from before Christmas. There may also be a Ladies 1st team friendly at 3pm at home, but this has yet to be confirmed. Come on U Red & Blacks.

Apologies that we haven’t been able to update the website, but there are the following friendly and two rearranged Men’s League fixtures this coming weekend. Sorry, I haven’t got push back times for the Men’s games, but they are all afternoon matches:

Home Games
Ladies 1st XI v Sunbury, Walton & Weybridge Hawks 1st XI at Short Lane at 1.30pm

Away Games
Winchmore Hill & Enfield 2nd XI v Ladies 2nd XI at 1.30pm

Epsom 1st XI v Men’s 1st XI

West Hampstead 6th XI v Men’s 3rd XI at 2.30pm (League)

Leighton Buzzard Fledings v Men’s 4th XI (League)

Good luck all.

The Xmas newsletter 2011 has recently been sent out to members via e-mail and it contains all the latest AHC news, information from Ashford (Short Lane) Sports, Ashford Antiques gossip and the league tables for all teams at the half way stage of the season and lots of other articles. Please contact me president@ashfordhockeyclub.co.uk if you haven’t recieved a copy and we hope to have a copy linked to the website soon.

Ashford 3 Henley 3

A game full of incident to bring the curtain down on the first half of the
league programme.
Three down at the interval, the ‘Ford staged a remarkable comeback but just
as goals from Matt Emmerton, Jas Nijhar and Alex Betts brought them level, a
rash of temporary suspensions left them with eight men for the closing
stages threatening to undo all the good work. However, Dave Baker got on
the ball deep in his own half and winning free hit after free hit ran down
the clock and all things considered it was in the circumstances a point
salvaged rather than two dropped.

For the third home game running the ‘Ford began sluggishly and conceded an
early goal. This time, however, the visitors were allowed to go further in
front and when they scored a third from a corner just on half time it
looked a long way back.

The interval gave the ‘Ford the opportunity to regroup and change their
formation and they seized back the initiatve from the restart.
Scarcely allowing Henley a touch, the ‘Ford passed the ball aound with
purpose and goal by goal the deficit was erased.
Matt Emmerton got the first with a sumptuous deflection and then  Jas
Nijhar worked his way through the Henley defence to shoot under the keeper.

When Alex Betts finished off a well worked corner move with eight minutes
remaining it seemed that the ‘Ford might just be able to push on and snatch
a famous victory. However, as Henley rallied and managed to stage their
first real attack of the second half, Luke Cottrell found himself
outnumbered and a last ditch tackle brought a temporary suspension. Further
cards for Nijhar and Chris Bolton gave Henley a three man advantage for the
last few minutes but the ‘Ford, or what was left of them held firm and they
settled for a point which looked distinctly unlikely 35 minutes earlier.

Maybe it is a little frustrating to lose top spot but the ‘Ford can be
satisfied with their work so far in 2011/12. They are very much in touch
with the leaders and have also successfully negotiated three rounds of the
EHB Trophy so there is plenty to play for after the Christmas break

A 10.30am start in deepest Berkshire meant leaving Stanwell at 8.30am but
the ‘Ford did not seem troubled by the earlier than normal push back and
were a goal up inside two minutes, courtesy of a Phil Lewis penalty corner.
Moving the ball around with assurance, the ‘ Ford controlled the rest of
the half allowing Sonning not even a sniff of keeper Adam Smith’s pads.
The game was effectively put to bed just after the break. Ryan Holland had
caused problems from the start and in trying to stop him, the Sonning
defence left plenty of room for Jas Nijhar to exploit and he set up the
‘Ford’s decisive second and third goals . First, The Wizard of the Dribble
mesmerised the home defence before firing an adroit pass to the left post
where Chris Bolton controlled and fired home with clinical precision. Then
the veteran stickmeister weaved his trademark brand of magic to suck in at
least four defenders before laying it off for skipper Luke Cotrell to scoop
home.
The one blemish on a fine team performance was a collective lack of
concentration which allowed Sonning a very late consolation.

 For the second time in three games the ‘Ford beat the league leaders 3-2 after going behind early on. Three weeks ago Eastcote were the victims  and on Saturday it was newly promoted Marlow who suffered the same fate.

 Hoping to be at full strength for the first time this season, the ‘Ford’s plans were dealt a double blow when first, Joe Siman was told he would need surgery on a hernia and then leading scorer Phil Lewis found out he could not re-schedule his first aid course.

 Full of confidence after running away with Division 2 last season and an impressive start to this, Marlow forced their way into the ‘Ford’s circle straight from the opening whistle. Taking full advantage of some poor tackling they won a penalty corner which was converted a little too easily. The ‘Ford regrouped and slowly took control and with Luke Cottrell dominating the midfield and Ryan Holland once again prving to be a real handful, they started creating openings so it was no surprise when Jas Nijhar scored a fine equaliser with a crisp finish.

 The game was effectively decided in the ten minutes after half time when Ryan Holland broke through to find himself on on one with the visiting keeper and finished with aplomb and then Alex Betts fired home a penalty corner.

 Marlow did manage to reduce the deficit with 15 minutes left from another penalty corner but the ‘Ford held their collective nerve and if anything looked the more likely to score in the closing stages.

A good weekend for the ‘Ford as they moved up to 2nd place in Middx, Berks, Bucks, Oxon Regional 1 with a 2-1 win over Maidenhead on Saturday and reached the last 16 of the EHB Trophy with a last gasp victory against Bexleyheath and Belvedere.

 If one described the ‘Ford’s opening half against Maidenhead as lack lustre it would be paying them a huge compliment. It was one of the worst 35 minutes of their season so far and they had to thank custodian Adam Smith that they were only one down at the break.

 Fortunately, much of the first half slackness disappeared and based on a much tighter defensive performance, the ‘Ford slowly but surely clawed their way back into the game. All the hard work that is going into the ‘Ford’s penalty corner routine once again paid dividends as Phil Lewis equalised and then scored the winner with another brace of fine strikes.

 With Matt Emmerton and Dave Baker already out with family commitments, Freddie Cottrell being taken up the Zambezi again and Alex Betts nursing an ankle injury, the ‘Ford’s resources were stretched almost to breaking point for Sunday’s Trophy tie when Adam Husband woke up with a stiff groin and Ryan Holland called in with ‘flu. Luckily, they were able to bring in utility man Joe Siman who has just returned to the area, Dawson Hardiman and the ever faithful Andy Sonden

 After difficult league matches the day before, the ‘Ford and their Kent, Sussex League opponents played out a quiet opening half and when Phil Lewis converted a corner midway through the second period it looked like it might be the winner. However, it was merely the prelude to a remarkable last quarter of an hour. Throwing caution to the winds, Bexleyheath and Belvedere started piling forward and bundled home an equaliser in the 60th minute. Sensing blood, the visitors went straight back on to the offensive but in doing so left their defence wide open and with five minutes to a crude challenge in the circle led to a penalty stroke which Andy Barnes rolled home to put the ‘Ford through, or so it seemed.

 As the visitors once again set up camp in the ‘Ford’s 25, a couple of efforts went close and then in the 69th minute the equaliser came from a scuffed penalty corner. With the large crowd resigned to golden goal extra time, Jas Nijhar had other ideas and his persistence won a last minute penalty corner which Phil Lewis rammed home to grab his second pair of the weekend and keep the ‘Ford in the competition until after Christmas. The reward is a visit to Marlborough HC who play in the third tier of the Wales and South West League on Sunday 12 February.

Sat 12th November, Men’s 1s away – Eastcote 2 Ashford 3

With a neat deflection from Matt Emmerton and a brace of penalty corner strikes from Phil Lewis, the ‘Ford completed a league and cup double over Middlesex rivals Eastcote on Saturday.
After five successive wins, Eastcote were riding high at the top of the table and brimming with confidence, they went ahead after ten minutes. However, the ‘Ford regrouped and managed to keep Eastcote at arms length for the rest of the half. As they started to gain more possession, the ‘Ford began to look more dangerous and they equalised when Emmerton timed his run perfectly to meet a cross from the right and divert neatly past a bemused keeper.
Just before the interval, Ryan Holland whose stick skills and direct running caused Eastcote problems all afternoon, won a penalty corner which Lewis fired home.
Eastcote emerged from their half time team talk with the clear intention of pressing the ‘Ford and forcing them into errors. However, the ‘Ford defence, well marshalled by keeper Adam Smith and stopper Andy Barnes and midfield led by the outstanding Luke Cottrell, kept their composure and frustrated by the inability to create any worthwhile openings, it was Eastcote who made the mistakes.
As a result, he ‘Ford had several chances to capitlaise and increase their lead but Emmerton pulled his attempt wide of an empty goal after Holland put the chance on a plate and a couple of penalty corners were wasted. When the routine did click however, Lewis claimed his second to make the lead a little more comfortable. Eastcote did manage to pull one back with five minutes left but it proved a mere consolation as the ‘Ford held on to the ball for the remainder of the match to run down the clock.
Manager Lee Pettifer was satisfied with the team’s performance. “It was pleasing to see us take control after going behind so early and how we held firm when Eastcote tried everything to disrupt our rhythm in the second half. Although it is good to beat the league leaders on their own ground, we must not get carried away as we don’t yet have quite enough points in the bag to stay up”
Next week it’s a double header at the Lane. On Saturday, the ‘Ford entertain Maidenhead in the League, 12noon, and on Sunday at 1pm it’s the 3rd Round of the EHB Trophy against Bexleyheath and Belvedere of the Kent, Sussex Regional League.

Saturday 5th Nov: Men’s 1s 4 (Digger, Jas, Luke & Alex) – Wycombe 0

After a draw and a defeat, the ‘Ford got back to winning ways beating Wycombe II 4-0 at the Lane on Saturday with goals from Andy Barnes, Jas Nijhar, Luke Cottrell and Alex Betts.

The win lifts them up from eighth to fourth in the table and illustrates just how close things are this year in Middx, Berks, Bucks, Oxon Regional 1.

The ‘Ford have now won more points in their six games so far this season than in their previous 44, which were admittedly at a higher level but hopefully, it does show that the tide is turning and that a revival is underway.

Sat 29th October, Oxford 2 – Men’s 1s 2

Although the ‘Ford were disappointed not to have taken all three points, they could have returned from Oxford with nothing to show for their dominance in the opening and closing quarters of the match.

On their previous visit to the city the ‘Ford had the pleasure of playing on Oxford Hawks’ state-of -the-art water based surface. However, Oxford HC, the result of a summer merger involving the Rover and City clubs, use Oxford Poly’s rather worn and in places treacherous, leaf based pitch complete which cannot be trusted.

The ‘Ford began brightly and moving the ball well from defence, through midfield and into attack, created a number of openings. From their set pieces, though, they found a keeper in fine form and efforts from Alex Betts and Phil Lewis were well saved until Ryan Holland snapped up a rebound from close in..

Oxford responded by crowding the midfield and in doing so muscled their way into contention. A mis-hit penalty corner just before the interval squared things up and the home side took the lead early in the second half from a corner awarded only after vociferous appeals from the home bench.

The ‘Ford managed to play their way back into the game as Oxford tired but it looked like their efforts would come to nothing until Phil Lewis found a way through from a late penalty corner to earn a share of the points.

A down and up weekend for the ‘Ford as they lost in the league to Wallingford on Saturday but recovered well to beat fellow regional leaguers Eastcote in the EHB Trophy 24 hours later.

Pride often comes before a fall and maybe the ‘Ford were a little too confident after winning their previous two league games. They probably had the better of the scoreless first half but as they went in search of all three points after the interval they lost their shape and Wallingford capitalised on defensive errors with two late goals.

A chastening experience and when Eastcote took an early lead on Sunday a bad weekend looked on the cards. The ‘Ford defence in which Phil Lewis was outstanding stood their ground and gradually the midfield took control. The composure on the ball and patience going forward which was missing a day earlier returned and Jas Nijhar, who always had a threatening look about him, netted the equaliser from close range.

Luke Cottrell, who had an excellent game in midfield, put the ‘Ford in front from the spot soon after the interval and though Eatcote managed to equalise, the ‘Ford went back in front through Phil Lewis. A second from the youngster 15 minutes from time put the ‘Ford well clear and set the seal on a fine team performance. On Saturday, there was only one real candidate for the team’s man of the match award and that was Darren Cole. but against Eastcote most of the team had legitimate claims for the accolade and it was Lewis who took it.

So, the ‘Ford players and their supporters, who were at eastcote in force, will be huddled around their transistors hoping for a home tie when the draw for the last 32 is made on 5Live.

Finally, thanks to Andy ‘Shaggy’ Sonden for providing cover from the bench for both matches and only getting ten minutes of pitch time on Saturday and none on Sunday. It requires a degree of selflessness that few hockey players seem to possess and is much appreciated, as were the efforts of Dave Eastbury who travelled to Eastcote direct from his Sunday football match for just two minutes of action.

Whilst the times against fixtures seem to have a bug, here’s the times for you as per the latests fixture sheet I have…but please, do check in with captains and let them know your availability…just in case there’s been another update!

SAT 22nd OCTOBER – also PLACE YOUR BETS SOCIAL from 7pm
ladies 1s vs Winchmore Hill HOME at 10.30
Men’s 1s vs Wallingford HOME at 12
ladies 3s vs PHC CHiswick HOME at 1.30
Men’s 5s vs Marlow HOME at 3
Men’s 2s vs Gerrards Cross AWAY at 12
Men’s 4s vs Oxford AWAY at 2.30
Ladies 2s vs Eastcote AWAY at 3

SAT OCT 29th
Ladies 3s vs Hendon & Mill Hill HOME at 12
Mens’s 2s vs Maidenhead HOME at 1.30
Men’s 4s vs Oxford Hawks HOME at 3
Men’s 1s vs Oxford AWAY at 1
Men’s 3s vs Phoenix & Ranlagh AWY at 2.30

Sat 15th October – PHC Chiswick 1 Ashford 1st XI 3

In terms of possession and territorial advantage, this was a game of two halves. The ‘Ford, one up after two minutes and three to the good after 20 were full value for their 3-1 half time but had to batten down the hatches after the break as PHCC adopted a far more robust approach to things. The scoreless second half was down to a what we have, we hold approach from the visitors based on disciplined defence from front to back and on the rare occasions PHCC did break through they found either Andy Barnes or Adam Smith barring their way.

Alex Betts scored from the ‘Ford’s first penalty corner and Jas Nijhar’s fifth in three games a few minutes later was given some help by the keeper. Andy Barnes calmly slotted his second of the season from the spot after a foul on Chris Bolton and although PHCC pulled one back they never really capitalised on having the lion’s share of the ball after that.
So, three points for the “Ford from what is always a difficult trip to the forbidding surroundings of the Linford Christie Stadium in the shadow of Wormwood Scrubs Prison. The experience was, however, brightened somewhat by PHCC’s warm welcome and convivial post match hospitality.

All members of the men’s section are invited to an urgent meeting tonight at the Clubhouse at 7.30pm to discuss which of the way forward for the coming season as regards to the lower teams. Please be there if you can.