Match Report by Alastair Whatley
6 East Grinstead Men- Southgate Men 2
Goal Scorers – Sean Davis (x2)
Southgate fell to their second successive defeat in a fiery, stormy and very wet encounter away at East Grinstead on Saturday night.
Huw Stevens’ side came into the game against old foes East Grinstead full of confidence after a fine performance against 2nd placed Holcombe at home last weekend.
Yet as storm Bert got into his stride and the few hardy Southgate supporters gathered on the sidelines the sight of new signing Nick Bandurak making his EG debut perhaps offered an ominous sense of foreboding.
And so it proved as within 3 minutes of push back Louis Tipper beat Calum Douglas in the Southgate goal to ensure the visitors were behind and chasing game. Yet Southgate reacted immediately winning a penalty corner which was smartly saved by Oliver Smart in the EG goal before Sean Davis collared it home on the rebound to score his debut Southgate goal. Southgate proceeded the dominate the ensuing minutes with some strong build up and attacking play especially down the right channel with Karan Sofat and Archie Foster both in dangerous form.
Southgate then gave away a penalty flick although given the ball had already landed in the goal and was pulled back by umpire Stewart- thus it seemed a reasonable outcome as EG captain Simon Faulkner saw it home. 2-1
Sean Davis then stepped up once again going one on one from the halfway line with Smart who was outsmarted by the Canadian international as he pulled him left then hard right before offering a very tidy finish to secure his brace. One of the few things that the Southgate players will remember fondly in a game which deteriorated hard and fast as the storm picked up. Samuel Knight followed up for the home side in the 26th minute with a sharp deflection to make it 3-1. Then in the 37th minute Bandurak scored his EG debut goal to the jubilation of the home supporters to give them a crucial lead going into half time.
The third quarter held little for Southgate to cheer about, drenched, unable to find their footing on a pitch almost waterlogged Bandurak scored his brace on the 41st minute bookending the halves in a statement performance which ignited the EG faithful and gave them a 5-2 lead before Malcolm Curley added the nail in the Southgate coffin with a clinical finish to make it 6-2 by the end of the quarter.
The visitors battled on in an increasingly frustrated game finding little purchase and scant opportunity. Douglas pulled off a series of strong saves to save a wider margin on the scoresheet and chances began to come as the clock dwindled- yet Smart held strong in goal and the whistle when it came proved welcome to all.
John Sterlini and his players now turn their attention to indoor but also some time to reflect on a challenging phase 1 which has seen just 5 points from 10 games and much work to do to convert good performances into points as the team prepares for phase 2 and the bottom 6. Yet should Southgate finish in the top 2 of this phase they get to compete on an even keel for a fabled EHL spot with the big beasts of the league. The battle at East Grinstead we hope will soon be a footnote (albeit a wet one) in a battling season.
