Mens 5 vs Old Cranleighan Samurai

Evening team,

This one was a bit of a kicker wasn’t it? 2-0 up and then lose to a very contested goal. Ugh. 

Yes, it’s time for the usual weekend recap, but this week it’s even longer (apologies, it really is a beast of a match report🤓). 

Let’s start at the beginning. Really happy with the turn out - people making themselves available and allowing us to show up with a really strong squad. It’s pleasing to see the team filled out now, and offering options at different positions and different formations. Please continue!

I thought we started really brightly. Our movement was good, and our passing first rate. We looked creative and energetic, and I did think to myself if we got a goal in the first 10 minutes it would give us a really good platform, because it would force them to change things up a little bit. Alex came up with the goods, and we were looking really comfortable. 

We fully deserved to go 2-0 up, too. I thought the midfield was totally in control, and we were creating at least half chances reasonably regularly. Their keeper had his hands full at times. Lawrence was involved in all of that and deserved to notch. OCs weren’t offering much at all at this stage. 

In fact if you remember, there was a period of about ten minutes when all they could do was send aimless 50-yard through-balls to no one, or launch aerials, every single one of which Rob and Dave dealt with easily, to the extent that they might want to think about investing in a pair of cricket bats and signing a contract with the IPL, so controlled were their forward defensives. 

OCs are a good side, though, so it’s no surprise they had a couple of little excursions into our D, but for the first 30 minutes there was really only one team in it. 

Unfortunately good teams will find a way of taking advantage of even the smallest mistake. And I’m talking tiny things here: a small miscue, a miscontrol, a slightly underhit pass, a bobble. And sure enough, with literally no seconds left in the half they got the wrong side of us. 

I did call it. I did say that we should step off them a little bit. We were playing too high and too flat at the back, and their players in the middle had enough pace and skill - and for their age, chops - to break through and exploit that. 

Looking back that was a crucial turning point. Their team talk totally changes when they get a foot hold in the game, and to be fair to OCs they came out in the second half a different team. 

I probably should have tweaked the formation at that point, but the big takeaway for us defensively is to think really hard about where the likely danger is going to come from. You’ve played 35 minutes against a team who have offered nothing down their right, and have got massively intimidated by the titan that is Matt Bishop down their left; so where is the danger going to come from? So why don’t we respond by trying to buttress that space down the middle? Make them do something else. 

There was probably a 15-minute spell after half time where OCs looked tricky and up for it, and our composure deserted us just a little bit. The fluent, patient stuff of the first half gave way to a more ragged, less measured style of play. Nothing bad, but just a few more stray passes, some less assured handling, and a bit more hitting and hoping. 

In truth, for that period of time we needed to be better organised across the middle, more diligent and disciplined at the back, and more creative and clinical up front. It’s frustrating to get hit on the break when you have a lead. There’s no need for it at all. But that can happen when you feel you’re up against it. You have to take a breath and regroup, and we have to learn from that. 

But aside from that, there were spells in the game where we played our best hockey of the season. I thought Alex, James and Lawrence made some fantastic inroads up the right channel. Crisper, more deliberate balls into the D would have given us more chances to score. 

I thought Clarky, Nickels and in particular Jack Allen absolutely ran the middle of the field for the vast majority of that game. As I mentioned, OCs resorted to long, aimless balls after about 15 minutes of playing. They had zero options. In fact, while they were playing their lone man upfront, we looked completely comfortable. It was only when they subbed him that we got drawn up to the half way line, in a completely flat back four; they changed their gameplan and it started to bear fruit. 

Up to that point Bish and Maj had the wingers in their pockets, and Dave and Rob were winning everything. The OC forwards got through a couple of times but I didn’t feel like they had much of a goal threat. 

So we hit a patch of adversity, but I’ve got say I was pleased with the way we tried to fight our way back into it after we went 2-3 down. I don’t particularly want to dwell on their third goal, although there are definite lessons to be learned. Number 1, leave your shoelaces alone until we are in possession of the ball somewhere safe; Number 2, don’t play underhit passes anywhere around - or especially across - the D, especially against players half your age; and Number 3, don’t stop until the whistle goes, even if it is the most blatant stick tackle anyone has seen or heard since hockey was invented. 

If we ignore the scoreline, though, that was a top, top performance. This is against an undefeated team who had good young players who were able to drive through the middle, very competent defenders, and a good keeper. They were overheard saying afterwards that they didn’t think they would able to resist our pressure in the last 10 minutes. They thought we would definitely score, and I suppose it is a bit disappointing that all our possession didn’t elicit any short corners or any real clear cut chances.

So in training we might to work on getting to the byline and then making really good hockey decisions. It’s ok to be patient to come back out, keep possession, start again. Trying to hit it through six or seven sticks - because good defences will get back in numbers - is a very low percentage option. 

Maybe we need to think a little bit about how we make sure subs slot in seamlessly; maybe we need to think a little bit about composure when the legs get a bit weary or time gets a bit scarce; maybe we think about being a bit more cautious and conservative when we’re in the lead and have identified likely threats.

But flippin eck lads, if we play like that every week, we’re not going to lose many, are we? As I said after the match, I can’t fault the effort or the standard of our hockey. We’ve just gone toe to toe with probably the best side in the division, absolutely matched them - and for long stretches of the game outplayed them. I think 2-2 would have been an entirely fair result, and in fact they told me afterwards they’d have been absolutely thrilled with a draw if they’d been offered one at half time. 

So well done all. 

Just a couple of player shout outs from the post-game debrief. Apparently some people thought I had quite a good game, which is nice; there were big MoM shouts for Matt Bishop who I thought had an absolutely outstanding game; for Jack Allen who had the ball on a string in the first half; for Alex Scott whose work rate I thought was phenomenal. 

But this week’s Star Man goes one again to Lawrence Marsh, who had the complete forward’s game - winning balls, containing 16s, playing some lovely interplay, and topping it off with a lovely finish. 

Really proud of you all, though. My only complaint is that six of you who said you were coming for teas didn’t show up. You will go on the naughty step if it happens again. 

But enough of that. Next week is blimmin HUGE, away to the team directly above us in the table, Merton 2s. I know most games are technically must-win games, but if we’re going to keep in touch with the top sides, this is a monster of a must-win game. 

The OCs skip was very impressed with us - but we have to make it happen all again next week. Get your availability down. Get to training. And let’s get a win. 

Spike