Match Report by Simon Parker
Southgate M1 2 Beeston M1 3
In their last home match of phase two, Southgate welcomed Beeston to Trent Park for the first time since their return to the Premier Division. In a tight encounter and with the game poised at 2-2, the match was turned on it’s head when Archie Foster was shown a yellow card with 12 minutes to go, and Beeston took full advantage to score the winning goal with five minutes to go condemning the home team to their first league defeat this year.
Southgate came roaring out of the blocks when with less than a minute on the clock, Charles Hamilton disposed Beeston’s Ben Collinson, drove into the circle moving right to left, before beating Simon Hujwan in the Beeston goal with the toma finding the bottom left corner of the goal.
Beeston were quick to regroup and equalised 10 minutes later courtesy of GB’s Henry Croft and a straight strike at a penalty corner beating Calum Douglas in the Southgate goal.
The second quarter was dominated by Beeston with Southgate struggling to retain possession, and it was only a matter of time before Beeston took the lead which duly happened in the 20th minute, this time Oliver Dunn scoring from a penalty corner, the half ending 2-1 to Beeston.
Following Coach Huw Stevens’ half time team talk, Southgate came out with renewed energy in the 3rd quarter. After a penalty corner had been awarded thanks to a foot in the circle, Archie Foster stepped up to flick right, and while Simon Hujan made the initial save, he couldn’t stop Sean Davis volleying the rebound into the net.
The match was now deilicately poised at 2-2 going into the final quarter with both teams believing all three points were within their grasp. Seven minutes in, Archie “the Shed” Foster and Beeston’s Toby Stanley chased an aerial ball which looked like it was heading off the baseline, going shoulder to shoulder there looked like there was only going to be one winner, and Stanley gave up the chase falling to the ground this led to Umpire Johnny Downer producing his yellow card to send off Foster for ten minutes. It was now backs to the wall for Southgate, with Beeston initially struggling to make the extra player count. Indeed it was Southgate who had the next chance to take the league, as Sean Davis collected the ball on his own 22 and set off at pace breaking out of his own half, beating four Beeston defenders en route to the opposition circle, where with Hugh Page open and unmarked, a challenge came in from Beeston’s Robbie Gleeson to take the ball away. Southgate appealed to Downer for the stick tackle and penalty stroke, however he was umoved, intead producing his green card to send off Page for two minutes.
With Southgate down to nine, the pressure was now on Beeston to score, and two minutes later George Fletcher finished from close range to give them the lead with the game ending Southgate 2, Beeston 3.
Southgate now face a tricky match away to Bowdon to complete Phase 2 with three points most definitely needed.
