The Southgate W1’s side will be looking for a swift response to last weeks 1-3 loss to Holcombe as they look to press their credentials in Division One South.
Ronan Casella will be looking for his players to show the fighting spirit needed to counter the Simon Letchford coached team who are short on goals and even shorter on points. The Magpies have lost all 4 of their first games with just 4 goals scored sitting bottom of the table.
Yet Southgate themselves sit only in 7th position with 4 points on the board after losses to Holcombe and the Bristol Firebrands leaving them coming into this game with a point to prove. Yet Harleston is a tough away fixture, a long journey and a tough atmosphere for visiting teams means past visits have led to attritional hockey with 9 goals scored in total across 4 games. Southgate have in fact never beaten the Magpies in their 2 seasons in the Division.
Whether Casella chooses to juggle his side from the one that played Holcombe last Saturday remains to be seen, with a -1 goal difference 8 goals scored to 9 conceded there is some tightening up to done in defence and in front of goal, yet at the same time it’s clear that on their day Ellie Robinson and her players can compete on equal terms with any side in the league. All 9 Goals have been scored by 9 different players showing the versatility across all lines and the side can also count on its fitness. Meanwhile key player, Charlotte Childs, is coming back from injury and made a big contribution to the W2’s win against Barnes last week- whether Casella chooses to play her or give her another week or two to build stamina is something he will have to think about as he approaches the journey to Suffolk.
The next game following on from Saturday will be a home game against Teddington on the 1st November – a tough fixture against one of the league front runners- yet two wins would catapult Southgate right back into contention to challenge for promotion. One thing is certain- there are no easy games in Division One South- and all focus will be on clipping the magpies wings on their home turf come Saturday afternoon.