LUMHC 0-2 UYHC
Having endured a difficult BUCS campaign, the LUMHC first team were looking to strike back on home soil. Whilst they have understandably struggled against top class opposition throughout the season, the York side that they were facing weren't quite of the same calibre. Thus, the 1s were confident in their ability to put their BUCS season behind them, and avenge the 2 other LUMHC defeats which had occurred earlier in the day.
Given this backdrop, it was no surprise that the game was fairly even throughout the first half, with no real chances of note at either end. The game was generally played out in front of the increasingly rowdy LUMHC fans, in the Lancaster half of the pitch. Having said that, the Red Rose defence never looked in particular danger, with Robert Chitty (Leggings), Alex Beauchamp (Rosie) and Liam Ganose forming a shield in front of their defensive comrades, picking off stray passes and working together as a unit.
When this midfield wall was breached, Dylan Jordan (Dylscoop) and Friday's hero Michael Holmes (Chaz) were there to sweep up round the sides, on many occasions relieving pressure through mazy runs or pinpoint passes up the field. Matthew Davies (Smiler), playing in his last game for the club, was rarely troubled in goal, and was providing constant communication to his defence, helping them to keep the York attackers at bay. When the York pressure subsided, as it did nearer the end of the first period, Chairman Matthew Bridger (Pooh Bear) and 1st XI Captain-in-waiting Jack Hobbs (Gaston) looked composed in possession at the back, spraying the ball around with ease, before searching for a more incisive pass further up the field. Simon Jackson (Dynamo) and Elliot Mason (Jedi) were helping to prevent a whitewash of outdoor hockey by working tirelessly up front, closing down defenders and making good of the little scraps that they could feed off. With the score line at 0-0 after the first 35 minutes, Lancaster went into the break happy, feeling confident that they could push on for the win, having looked stronger as the half went on.
Given this backdrop, it was no surprise that the game was fairly even throughout the first half, with no real chances of note at either end. The game was generally played out in front of the increasingly rowdy LUMHC fans, in the Lancaster half of the pitch. Having said that, the Red Rose defence never looked in particular danger, with Robert Chitty (Leggings), Alex Beauchamp (Rosie) and Liam Ganose forming a shield in front of their defensive comrades, picking off stray passes and working together as a unit.
When this midfield wall was breached, Dylan Jordan (Dylscoop) and Friday's hero Michael Holmes (Chaz) were there to sweep up round the sides, on many occasions relieving pressure through mazy runs or pinpoint passes up the field. Matthew Davies (Smiler), playing in his last game for the club, was rarely troubled in goal, and was providing constant communication to his defence, helping them to keep the York attackers at bay. When the York pressure subsided, as it did nearer the end of the first period, Chairman Matthew Bridger (Pooh Bear) and 1st XI Captain-in-waiting Jack Hobbs (Gaston) looked composed in possession at the back, spraying the ball around with ease, before searching for a more incisive pass further up the field. Simon Jackson (Dynamo) and Elliot Mason (Jedi) were helping to prevent a whitewash of outdoor hockey by working tirelessly up front, closing down defenders and making good of the little scraps that they could feed off. With the score line at 0-0 after the first 35 minutes, Lancaster went into the break happy, feeling confident that they could push on for the win, having looked stronger as the half went on.
The second half got off to the worst possible start, with the visitors looking motivated and winning a short corner almost straight from push-back. The York outdoor short corner routines were as deadly as their indoor ones, and the ball was hammered into the backboard to deal Lancaster a blow early in the second period. The positive was that there was still a large amount of time left to find an equaliser. The York goal seemed to spark the Lancaster attack into life, with Leggings and Liam breaking from midfield, beating a few men individually and exchanging passes before the final ball just eluded Dynamo. As soon as the attack from the home side ended, York hit with their own counter-attack and another short corner was the result. The first set piece was defended well by Gaston, putting his body on the line to close down his opponent, but on the rebound, a deflection by a home stick saw the ball loop up into the air, deemed as dangerous by the umpire and meaning that back-to-back short corners were in order. The resulting York routine wasn't quite as well executed, but a bobbling ball meant that Smiler's clearance didn't go as far as he would have hoped, and the rebound was placed into the net. All the hard work of the previous 35 minutes had been undone in 5.
The 1s were lucky to escape unscathed from the next York attack, as the away side now looked to sit back and hit on the counter. Inviting the Lancaster defence to carry the ball out, they pounced and looked set to add to their lead through a 3-on-2 situation. Fortunately, the shot which eventually came in on the reverse stick was not timed at all, and at 2-0, the boys still had a chance of clawing the game back. Tom Moody, another player in his last outing for the club, looked to rectify the situation, drawing a few defenders before winning a free hit in a dangerous position, which unfortunately didn't lead to a shot on goal.
The game was almost solely in the York half at this point, and another chance went begging when Rosie set up Dynamo, only for his shot to end up wide of the mark. Harry Carpenter (Ham), another third year in his final Roses game, won back-to-back short corners, but, in a vein similar to that of the second team, the 1s just didn't quite have that killer instinct to convert the chances that they had created. A final chance saw the ball shipped to the left hand side, where Dylan did well to beat a few defenders, but he couldn't keep his shot down. The final whistle blew shortly afterwards, and as the York team celebrated, the 1s trudged off the pitch despondently. Despite the result, the boys can be proud of thier performance, as they held their own against quality opposition. Although a large number of pivotal players are leaving, with a good quality intake of freshers, there is no reason why the team cannot push for promotion next year on a Wednesday and Saturday, as well as avenge this defeat in York.
LUMHC 1s - UYMHC 1s: 0-2
LUMHC Starting 11: Matt Davies, Jack Hobbs, Matthew Bridger, Michael Holmes, Dylan Jordan, Liam Ganose, Alex Beauchamp, Robert Chitty, Harry Carpenter, Simon Jackson and Tom Moody
Substitutes: Elliot Mason, Alex Gilbert, William Bowyer
DOTD: Gaston for not providing Pooh with sun cream
MOTM: Pooh for playing on despite the threat of malignant melanoma, due to the aforementioned lack of sun cream.
The 1s were lucky to escape unscathed from the next York attack, as the away side now looked to sit back and hit on the counter. Inviting the Lancaster defence to carry the ball out, they pounced and looked set to add to their lead through a 3-on-2 situation. Fortunately, the shot which eventually came in on the reverse stick was not timed at all, and at 2-0, the boys still had a chance of clawing the game back. Tom Moody, another player in his last outing for the club, looked to rectify the situation, drawing a few defenders before winning a free hit in a dangerous position, which unfortunately didn't lead to a shot on goal.
The game was almost solely in the York half at this point, and another chance went begging when Rosie set up Dynamo, only for his shot to end up wide of the mark. Harry Carpenter (Ham), another third year in his final Roses game, won back-to-back short corners, but, in a vein similar to that of the second team, the 1s just didn't quite have that killer instinct to convert the chances that they had created. A final chance saw the ball shipped to the left hand side, where Dylan did well to beat a few defenders, but he couldn't keep his shot down. The final whistle blew shortly afterwards, and as the York team celebrated, the 1s trudged off the pitch despondently. Despite the result, the boys can be proud of thier performance, as they held their own against quality opposition. Although a large number of pivotal players are leaving, with a good quality intake of freshers, there is no reason why the team cannot push for promotion next year on a Wednesday and Saturday, as well as avenge this defeat in York.
LUMHC 1s - UYMHC 1s: 0-2
LUMHC Starting 11: Matt Davies, Jack Hobbs, Matthew Bridger, Michael Holmes, Dylan Jordan, Liam Ganose, Alex Beauchamp, Robert Chitty, Harry Carpenter, Simon Jackson and Tom Moody
Substitutes: Elliot Mason, Alex Gilbert, William Bowyer
DOTD: Gaston for not providing Pooh with sun cream
MOTM: Pooh for playing on despite the threat of malignant melanoma, due to the aforementioned lack of sun cream.