Southgate 1 Holcombe 2

Match report by Alastair Whatley

Holcombe may have walked away with 3 points from this scintillating contest at Southgate Hockey Centre on Saturday night, but the home side put in a performance that will long be remembered by the bumper crowd that lined the pitch under the lights on Saturday night.

The narrative pre-game was easy for the Southgate supporters to follow and needed no introduction. Yet it’s worth a re-cap to those less familiar; Kwan Browne last years Southgate coach was head hunted unexpectedly over the summer by rival team Holcombe, this game would mark his return to his former club along with 3 players who left with him. Added to this Kwan would face off on the sidelines against his long term assistant Huw Stevens who stepped up as Southgate head coach on Kwan’s departure.

Both sides have had contrasting starts to the season, Holcombe have won all but one game to league leaders Old Georgians, Southgate meanwhile have lost all but one of their games, the win coming against bottom placed side Bowdon. Thus Holcombe arrived as outright favourites- on paper at least.

Yet the crowd nevertheless crammed themselves onto the famous Southgate balcony and jostled cheek by jowl pitch-side as the game began in a red smoked cauldron of fervour and febrile atmosphere. Yet within just one minute of play, returning forward Matthew Ramshaw silenced the crowd with an outrageous back hand tomahawk shot from the left baseline, which somehow worked its way from an almost impossible angle to beat ‘Gate keeper Callum Douglas and find the inside edge of the far post to send Holcombe up within 60 seconds. Ramshaw celebrated in a vacuum of sound as Southgate supporters feared a Holcombe onslaught.

The fear proved well founded as just a minute later centre back Sam Taylor fired a pitch length aerial over the top of the Southgate defence picking out Tom Russell who brought down the ball with great dexterity leaving a precarious 1-1 situation for Douglas. At the top of the D Russell dinked a dainty flick over Russell’s head, time slowed as an audible gasp from the crowd was heard to whisper over the hushed Southgate support, the gasp became one of relief as the ball bounced up over the cross bar to safety. A reprieve which served to kickstart the Southgate response.

And respond they did. John Sterlini’s side with backs to the wall and nothing to lose started playing their game of the season; as injuries, bad luck and set backs were set aside as free-flowing play led to a succession of chances which GB keeper Ollie Payne saw off in a sequence of superlative saves to maintain the slender Holcombe advantage.

Corners came for Southgate as the balcony grew in voice sensing a chance of a punchline to a story line that would go down in the history books, yet Payne held firm. Sean Davis was unlucky on the back post, Archie Foster just missed a chance on his upright reverse and Shane Benfell had a great flick denied bottom right by Payne. Meanwhile Douglas and his defensive unit held fast against attacks from the likes of Holcombe top scorer (and former Southgate player) Teague Marcano, Alex Pendle and Tom Russell. The game went into half time poised at 0-1 with Huw Stevens clearly looking the happier of both coaches.

The second half proved the single best half of hockey in terms of pure sporting drama in many years. Holcombe countered the Southgate press and attempted to reassert their early dominance yet Southgate proved able to match them as they went toe-to-toe with the league challengers. Pressure began tilting in the opposite director as the crowd began roaring the home side forwards. That pressure built to the 56th minute when Shane Benfell put a precision flick low and left ,just eluding the kicker of Payne to equalise as the crowd erupted and an upset looked on the cards.

The momentum now fell to the Southgate players who tried to capitalise, Payne forcing more saves including a one-on-one shot from Foster through on goal but unable to beat the GB man who once again proved the intransigent wall to Southgate’s attacking arsenal.

Yet Browne is never a coach to roll over as proved urging his players on from the sidelines – he knew they needed only the one chance and found it in the 61st minute when captain Rob Field gifted a corner from a weak challenge from Xavier Guy at the edge of the D, punished the home-side with a flick of the highest calibre beating post man and keeper to send the visitors back in front with 9 minutes to play.

What followed was heart stopping, pulse raising stuff with chances coming at both ends, as Southgate continued pushing winning 3 late corners capitalising on the man advantage after a yellow card for Holcombe player Alex Pendle. Yet despite the onslaught Payne and the Holcombe runners proved a match to them and held firm.

The final whistle came not a minute to soon for Holcombe yet proved bitter sweet for Southgate who on paper knocked up a further defeat keeping them just a point out of the relegation zone, yet conversely in defeat it is possible that the team may have just found it’s feet. A technical loss but a pyrrhic win that could prove decisive in the latter stages of the Premier Division which now splits into top and bottom 6.

With the win Holcombe take 2nd spot with Old Georgians in their cross hairs. Meanwhile in 9th Southgate must beat East Grinstead away from home on Saturday and then aim for a top 8 finish by the end of March, if they can achieve that they can go through to phase 3 in April in the knowledge that on their day they can beat anyone. Such is the nature of the league that even from the depths of the table, Southgate still could prove the dark horse in this years competition.