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.
Police are scouring Middx, Berks, Bucks and Oxon on the the lookout for 11 men dressed in Red-and-Black. They are accused (and profoundly guilty) of stealing a point from poor old OMT’s! There have been various sightings of them in back gardens looking for more draws to steal…
The 3rd-personed Gordo was looking after the team and was conscious he needed to be a role model and example to the team, unfortunately he forgot about the positive and good bit. The first half was a bit tough as the oppo had a goal disallowed, numerous chances and short corners and keeper Ritchie had several chances to impress his fan on the touchline. We did compete and had OMTs on the backfoot at times though didn’t look threatening. Little did we know but that was our good half!
We did not start the second half well and I didn’t realise how long it went on, Jimmy B in midfield performed wonders and we worked very hard but were close to being overrun. Their umpire blew for a shortie as their forward finished brilliantly and they then managed to stop 2 goal-bound shots on the line – I have seen this happen once very occasionally but twice!!!! The second was very amusing as their guy flicked the ball through our last defender only for another forward to stop and keep it out with his gut! And of course, with 4 minutes to go their defender miscontrolled and our goal machine, Rishi G, made some space and smacked it through their keepers legs. One shot, one goal, one all!! 5 draws in 6 and a big game against fellow strugglers, Slough, awaits this Sat as long as we can avoid the rozzers!
Colts had some great results this weekend with the Boys U14 beating Surbiton 8-1. The GU14 drew 2-2 against Staines in an end to end match. The U12 Girls played in a tournament against Spencer and Richmond winning their group and playing Spencer in the final. It was a good match but unfortunately lost 0-1. The U10 boys were away at Oxted for a tournament and the best they had played with 3 no score draws, a win and 1 loss. Well done all.
At the A(SL)S meeting this month, the Board discussed the current precarious financial situation at Short Lane, and the need to act now and to increase bar turnover rapidly. A number of decisions were made about some fund raising events at which we need your support:
Thursday December 15th – Pool match between ACC and AHC. Teams of eight players – food – prizes – time etc. to be defined. Shane Smith is running the AHC team, so please let him know if you want to play or come down and support our team.
Saturday December 31st – New Year’s Eve party – £10 per ticket for non-members – free for members but the number of tickets may be limited for ACC and AHC members. Speak to Tracey early to secure your ticket. Food and entertainment (TBD) included.
Further A(SL)S events to be organised in the New Year.
Finally, we have arranged a meeting for Monday December 12th at 7.30pm, where we hope to meet with representatives of ACC and AHC to thrash out further ideas to help solve the current problems. We plan to issue some ideas in advance to promote discussion at the meeting, but we would be grateful if you could ensure that we are primed for a inspiring debate and hopefully some innovative ideas. Please could you let me know if you would like to attend this meeting to represent AHC.
It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this position but drastic measures are now necessary to ensure we have a Sports Club in the future! ACC have organised two social events to try and help and these are on:
Tuesday December 6th – Xmas games night.
Friday January 13th – ACC Curry Night.
AHC members would be very welcome to attend either event and Shane Smith is now running an informal quiz night each Friday in the members bar.
Any further ideas about how we can improve bar and A(SL)S turnover would be greatly appreciated either at the meeting on December 12th or to myself or the other AHC, A(SL)S reps David Sutch and Adam Husband or at any time by e-mail.
Lynne Morgan lynne.morgan@live.co.uk
The astro draw winners for November 2011 are:
£100 Steve (Klaus) Nunn
£50 Jane English
£50 Heatehr Grocott
Congratulations to all the winners and your cheques should be with you soon. It is only £12 per year for a ticket and a draw is made every month throughout the season, with the extra big money prizes being drawn at the AHC Annual Dinner in April. Application forms are available on the website (see link on side bar) and on the Club Notice Board. Help support the club and give yourself a chance of winning some money at the same time.
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.
Its party time at Ashford on Sat 26th November – some club members are reaching landmark birthdays, and november appears to be a generally happy birthday time! So we’re celebrating for them…and hopefully with them!
£5 a ticket to include Disco, party games and food. 7pm ish til midnight.
Bring your friends to increase the party spirit!
RSVP on our facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=283499175015895
Saturday 5th Nov: Newbury & Thatcham 3s 0 – 0 Ashford 3s
This Bonfire Night saw Ashford’s 3rd XI battle to a deserved goalless draw against Newbury & Thatcham. Given their poor results so far this season, Saturday’s match saw the team turn in a performance that was less about explosions of individual colour and brilliance and instead embodied the dogged and intense fire of team spirit and work ethic.
For much of the game both teams cancelled each other out: chances were few and far between as the battle in the middle of the pitch burned relentlessly. The game sparked inconsistently but, as the second period wore on, Ashford began to dominate in central midfield and there were some strong forays forward from these areas that heralded pleasing and fluid positional interchange from the forwards. These resulted in a number of short corners that Ashford were unfortunate not to capitalize on and special mention must go to the Newbury & Thatcham captain who gamely took a powerful Bhamra drive to the forehead via a vicious deflection off his stick!
The plaudits for only their second points of the season, however, must go to Ashford’s defensive players. Trialing a new-look back line and defensive-midfield partnership, Ashford were resilient, combative and increasingly communicative, ultimately deserving of their first clean sheet of the season. Let them feed this newfound fire with similar levels of desire and commitment as they go into November!
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.
The Men’s 1st team play Bexleyheath & Belvedere 1st XI in the 3rd round of the England Hockey Board Trophy at Short Lane on Sunday 20th November. Push back is at 1 pm and spectators are very welcome and support from AHC members is requested. Come on U Red & Blacks.
Ashford Men 2s – Away to Gerrards Cross, lost 3-0.
Having been thrashed the previous week, due to possibly the worst Ashford performance in recent years, we were not overly confident in getting a positive result this week against a top four team in this league. But as we started on Beaconsfield High School beach, which doubles up as a hockey astro on weekends, there was a distinct difference in mind-set than weeks past, for once we were up for the game. And it showed, we started the game strongly, with Steve Taylor and Robbie Grant utilising their pace and stick skills, and Jack Hayes running GX defence ragged. Ironically, our dominance was also our downfall. Having created a terrific opening and getting into GX D, we gave the ball away cheaply, and had over committed. GX slipped 3 or 4 passes and the ball was in the back of our net. Half time and one down, we were disappointed we weren’t ahead, we came out of the blocks after half time superbly again creating opportunities through Matt Samouel and the returning Paul ‘Shar’ Neyton. But again after dominating the period of play we gave away a cheap short corner and were punished. Being 2 down with 15 to go Ashford pushed on, but were once more caught out on the break have lost possession in the opposing 25.
A much better performance from the red and blacks, but having dug ourselves into a bit of a hole, we are going to have to keep up this level of performance to get out of trouble. Starting with Maidenhead at home next week.
Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club, Short Lane, Stanwell, Middlesex, TW19 7BQ
01784 252288 (Day); 01784 255511 (Evening)
info@ashfordhockeyclub.co.uk
Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club Limited - All Rights Reserved - 1919 - 2011
