Match Report : Todd Lomas

Result : WIN 8-0 vs Harrow

Knowing we were facing Harrow was not a daunting prospect. With 10 goals scored in the away fixture back in October, the men of the 3s went into the game with a bit more of a relaxed attitude than we’d usually allow.

After a few minutes in the game, we saw that despite this we’d still dominate. With some early possession and control from the red and blacks, we were peppering the keeper with shots, culminating in a ball in from the T point along the baseline from Todd to Cam, deflection, rebound and beautiful back foot hit into the bottom corner from Cam Sarrington, really showing why tennis is a good second sport to hockey.

With the floodgates opened, we continued. Most possession was held in their half, between around 35 yards out and their goal line, with our high transfer causing all sorts of problems. Thanks to Andy Richardson’s coaching in the last few weeks, the forwards were making all the right runs, and D entries were coming thick and fast. It wasn’t long until Josh Chandler whipped a ball in through the right shoulder of the D to an outstretched Todd Lomas, who picked on his reverse, showed the keeper one way, waited for the dive and flicked it over him. A few moments later, Mitch Read received the ball on the edge of the D, took a touch in and creamed it towards the goal, ripping over a defenders foot en route. After a zipped injection and clean stop from Ruben Straat and Oscar Prior respectively, Todd dragflicked the ball in the LHS side netting, his first and last nice dragflick of the game…

We went into the second half with two pointers: Increase the intensity and stop taking the ball into contact. Unfortunately we did neither. We did however start the half with a successful short corner. After a free hit was given in the middle of the park, Jackson Trathen arieled to Oscar who was waiting in the D, and the umpire gave the short for the defender not giving 5. Debatable call however we took it and scored a dragflick low to the right post, deflected in by the post man, completing the hattrick for Todd in 20 minutes. 2 minutes later, after quick buildup play from the back, via Jackson and Todd in midfield, Cam carried the ball into the D, slipped it to Oscar who put a flat hit into the perfect area on the p spot, for Cam to first time deflect into the goal for his second.

For the rest of the second half, the play wasn’t as elegant and we overcomplicated what we were doing most times when attacking. Bringing the ball into contact was our favourite pastime, and the possession changed hands way too many times in the final third. Furthermore, our short corners were not firing. Numerous short corners were given, but most either resulted in another short corner or a save by the goalkeeper. We did however get another goal from a short, with a low flick from Todd to the left post, where the keeper couldn’t quite clear his lines and Ruben managed to get there first and put it in. A minute later, when they were pushing back from the halfway line, a defender sent a ball loose and Oscar nabbed it, slid in Noah on his reverse and Noah beautifully ‘wrapped to score’ putting the ball near post from a tight angle.

Not the tidiest of second half performances but a good result and a good base point to work from. MOM: Oscar for making all the right runs

DOD: Josh HD for aerialing the ball to their CF
Cam 2G, Todd 3G 2A, Ruben 1G, Noah 1G, Mitch 1A, Oscar 2A