Reading Rascals 4 London Wayfarers 1
By Reading Hockey Club • Mar 4th, 2009 • Category: Match Reports, RascalsSaturday 28th February 2009
If last week’s game was all grace and artistry without the punch, that was certainly was not the case this week as Rascals fairly hammered London Wayfarers at the tired looking National Sports Arena at Crystal Palace.
Another huge journey to a midday match in the Southern Galaxy had little effect as the Rascals rattled in 4 goals before the break with some scintillating hockey – everything they tried pretty much came off and it was great to see Matt Cooke end his drought in front of goal with an inspired hattrick to supplement the laser like but rather lethargic short corner shot from Ian Ashby to give the Rascals an apparently 3 goal unassailable lead at the interval.
Then the interval happened – the interval can do one of two things; it can inspire the team for a greater second half performance or it can seriously disrupt the flow, tempo and fluidity of the first half. It proved to be the latter in the Rascal’s case. Where there had been certainty in the first half, the Rascals just fiddled about and started dispensing the ball with about as much accuracy as an aerosol.
Gone was the pressure, down was the tempo and for a while they looked ordinary. Wayfarers pulled a sloppy goal back about 5 minutes after the restart to give themselves hope as they worked hard to quickly close down and deny the Rascals the space they had enjoyed in the first half.
Fortunately, there were some wise heads borne out of much experience on old shoulders in the Rascals side and skipper Ronan Gaffney, Ian Ashby and Jeremy ‘The Beast at the Back’ Cooke all played their part in deflating the pressure.
Having weathered the storm, the Rascals gradually began to play again and some fine movement saw Kane Hartland knock in a well worked goal to restore a 3 goal lead and effectively end the match as a contest.
So just 2 games to go and 6 points on offer – both games at home against sides placed lower than the Rascals in the table so there is no reason why 2 wins cannot be had. The wise heads will not allow complacency but the young lads will still have to deliver. Forget the maths and what the points total might be – just go out and do it!
Squad: Johnnie Ashby, Ted Warren, Ian Ashby, Ronan Gaffney, Jeremy Cooke, Tom Falconer, Josh Gemmell, Ryan Gilmour, Ali Fraser, Adam Langford, Cieran Codling, Kane Hartland, Matt Cooke
Cautions: Jeremy Cooke, for a foul that made Attila the Hun look like a Disney character (although Tom Falconer felt the home player just fell over but then you would expect that of the defensive brotherhood)
Umpire: Ian Fraser (and thanks also for educating the other umpire on the rules during the game)
Attendance (and transport drivers): 6
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