Mens 3 vs Cambridge City 3

A game we expected to be a challenge.... was a challenge

City, recently demoted despite playing some great hockey, found themselves at the OLSIO ground facing a team wrecked with injuries, replacements and general illness.

Denman chose the direction with the sun not in his eyes first half, and Ives planned to execute a half court press and just frustrate and keep the goal count down.

It worked. Ish.

An early PC was conceded after the drag flicker completely miss flicked it and it scooted along a few inches off the the floor and deflected off Denman's outstretched leg to the top bins, and that was about as perfect example of how the game went from there on in.

A second PC conceded at the left hand post, where the post player had moved to cover a slip , added to the misery in what was, a resolute defense at times.

There were more goals, but the author has tried to block the game out of his head, the result being 4-0 at half time.

Ives did have one breakaway counter attack, which was thwarted by a foul, and then a kicking the ball away on the free hit by the naughty naughty defender, but largely were confined out of the opposition 23.

Second half just got a bit worse.

Miles, stepping up from the 4s to cover the two players with 3 broken bones from last week, soon discovered what life in the M3s is really all about, when he did a resolute flat stick block in front of a player, who proceded to smack him in the face, accidentally, for his efforts. And so our one sub was out of action.

Combined with a broken DJ, Lando and Greg nursing injuries in the game, and a dozen welts on Jago, Ives were battered. More conceded goals came from a misjudged PC, a pingball game in the circle in the air and a player turning myself inside out with his control of his stick , that he didn't seem to have earlier in the game when near a defender (see Miles above)

MoM went to Say Junior, whilst DoD went to the author for not being violent enough to attackers, and failing to adhere to the goalkeeping philosophy of 'can't score if they're dead'

Short version; We played well, result went as expected, people are hurt and injured. Roll on the slip week in a couple of weeks so we can recover