Match Report : Todd Lomas

Result : LOSS 0-4 Wanderers

Last Saturday, under the gorgeous winter sun beating down on the hallowed grounds of Southgate HC, the mighty 3s were handed a defeat by the Wanderers from down under (Battersea). They say ‘Not all who wander are lost’, and that is definitely true for the well drilled and often clinical gentlemen we faced.

Southgate started with a reasonably full strength 15, but after a lackluster warmup, the start was far from the usual high intensity onslaught we often started our games with. Our young side went out and fought well in defense, in particular Sam Marshall who was unanimously voted Man of the Match for his powerful in your face defending, as well as his João Cancelo-esque marauding runs up the line and inside. Despite the best efforts of the team, we finished the second half down 1 goal to 0, after a tidy forehand hit into the top corner that bested Akshay.

After what ought to have been a rousing team-talk from some of the senior guys, the 3s went back out…and rapidly conceded 3 goals.

Future historians will argue the toss on the hows and wherefores but 3 major reasons may be pointed to as to how the defense of The Gate crumbled so rapidly.

Firstly, an ex 3s captain (who shall remain nameless…not Josh HD), decided that going from zonal marking to man to man in midfield was a good idea, and from the moment the ball was pushed back we let them scythe through us like a knife through butter…nay, through water. Secondly, some may say that the rare fault from a most reliable General on the field caused upset within the team, after the said trusty General gave the ball away at the back, the garish yellow and purple men carried the ball through and scored.

Regardless, with skipper and fellow forwards and midfielders not scoring, there was not enough pressure on the Wanderers to hold them away from our goal. Poor excuse if you ask me but who am I to judge the men who lost their lives/hockey game on this fateful day.

On the more positive side, we still witnessed some good performances from players like Alex, Josh, Vivek, to name a few. In the run up to the Christmas break it is always difficult to sustain pressure on the league, and it’s still important to give praise to the lads who have continued to be available and dedicated to the team since the start of the season. With players like Tom Murphy, stepping up to the 2s for the second week in a row, the 3s continue to be the best team in the club for player development as well as league position and goal difference. I’m not showing off, I promise.

All in all, a good learning experience and a standard of hockey we are to expect once we get promoted at the end of the season. When that happens, the main question we have is: Will we be the only Southgate team in that league…