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TEAM INFORMATION
- Mens 2nd
Previous Fixture(s): 26th Mar 2023 Mens 2nd v Hull University 1s (Home) 5 - 2 win Already league champions and undefeated in 2023, the men's 2s hosted the already relegated University of Hull in a rearranged game with all the hallmarks of a dead rubber. Were they complacent? Were they suffering the deleterious effects of the previous night's revelries? Undoubtedly. After arriving at the club in various states of fragility, thoughts turned to the looming struggle. Captain Till briefly awoke from his pre-match slumber to pull names out of a hat to determine formation and selection. He then delivered a team talk that made his usual oratory seem Periclean in its eloquence. Amidst the mumblings of processes and intensity, all that could be discerned was the palpable aroma of WKD Blue and regret. It was probably for the best that the bumper crowd that witnessed the men’s 1s game previously dispersed when the 2s took to the field. Messrs Burton and Wood, newly promoted to starting berths in the forward line, were practically salivating in anticipation at getting onto the score sheet. Instead, the spectacle that ensued was unlikely to cause Captain Till any selection headaches in the future. Burton, in particular, singlehandedly managed to keep the score line at 0-0. He wafted, chopped, hacked and dithered his way into 2s exile. Wood fared better, keeping the novice Hull keeper honest with a number of smart strikes. But it was up to Coach O’Connell to demonstrate the fundamentals of forward play: he glided and dummied past the goalkeeper for the first, deflected at the far post for the second (wheeling away to the refrain “five on a dice”). However, Hull performed a smash and grab with a quick break to take the score line to 2-1 at the break. Chastened by the lethargic and wasteful performance in the first half, the 2s reverted to their established lineup after the hairdryer treatment from Manager Smith and Coach O’Connell. Lee-Wardell, seemingly incapable of giving less than 110% (regardless of mathematical impossibility), put Rhydding on top through flawless distribution, tackling and carrying. Equally, Normington wreaked havoc amongst the Hull defence, winning a succession of short corners after mazy runs. With Captain Till safely off the field with a ‘hamstring injury’, the team auditioned for next season’s chief drag flicker. The results were less than promising until Tomlinson stepped up and fired one into the roof of the net to make the score 3-1. Undeterred, Hull pulled one back after McHugh benevolently let an aerial drift over his head – perhaps distracted by the Hull player sporting a flattering lavender blouse – leaving Wood scrambling to close down the space to no avail: 3-2. Soon after, short corner routines were simplified to the slap-deflection. Arnott sneaked inside the post to get onto a McHugh slide pass with the Hull keeper leaden-footed: 4-2. The Scotsman wheeled away with a giddy delight that would melt the stoniest of hearts. Any Hull comeback was put out of reach when Priestley stroked the ball round the increasingly desperate goalkeeper from close range to make it 5-2. At the final whistle, the mood was closer to funereal than celebratory, but it is testament to the team’s high expectations over the last two seasons that a straightforward win could take on the appearance of a demoralising loss. MOM: Aidan Lee-Wardell for showing what we’re going to miss DOD: Sam Burton for showing how to miss 25th Mar 2023 Mens 2nd v Driffield 1(Home) 5 - 3 win Saturday the 25th of March found the mighty 2s playing in the penultimate game of the season where all we needed was a draw for promotion over Wakefield. Spirits were high and with our end of season ‘do’ following our game we needed to get a result. The thought of waking up Sunday morning with thick heads and having the fate of our season depending on the Top of the League Clash v the Bottom of the League could have seen the more conscientious players taking an early night. With more than half the players arriving early for the first time this season, I know what you are thinking – eager to win the league. That would have been my guess; I am sure it was just a coincidence that the Women’s 1s were playing in the game before and that the skipper declaring the pitch side line as the new meet area… Having watched the first half of their game a frustrated Tilly marched the squad back to the clubhouse quite vocal about the lack of DLT (defending like tilly). With high hopes of an inspiring team talk for what was an important game, it was done in the usual fashion. ‘Get the f***ker in the f**king f**ker’, ‘stick to our processes’, mentioning JOE..siah in goal (obviously) as well as all the other classic cliches associated to his team talks. Manager Charlie Smith concluded the talk with a quick description of the press to the forwards whilst Jamie O’Connell, with some great wins in this coaching career, sat there in awe and Mark Horsman noting down every detail to sharpen his not so successful previous management of the 2s. The team rocked up to the pitch, ready to take on their opponents with their usual pre-match routine. They jogged around the car park, before reluctantly splitting into two lines to stretch. And as always, Will McHugh decided to go rogue, completely ignoring the drills and probably practicing ways to fake cramp and catch a breather during the game. Then came the all-important pre-match pep talk from Tilly, who was slurring more than a toddler after a juice box. He was determined to win the league and his words pumped up the team, making them feel invincible. Or so they thought... The whistle went, but we might as well still have been in the clubhouse, with the team passing the ball to our opponents more often than to their own players. Driffield were dominating the game, winning every 50/50 and pressing the team like it was laundry day. The back line was struggling to keep up, and before they knew it, they had conceded the first goal. This had been the start to too many of our games this season, but we were not perturbed, if anything this brought at least half the team to the game! Tilly not been one of them. He had apparently forgotten how to defend properly and was still stuck DLT (defending like tilly) – feet planted and hoping the ball would somehow end up on this stick. Spoiler alert: it wasn't working. The team conceded another goal, making it 2-0. Needless to say, the management on the side line was not impressed. They had high hopes for the team, but it seemed like they were more interested in playing a game of hot potato with the ball than scoring a goal. Something typically done by assistant manager Ewan Wardle when trapping the ball. It was time to step up their game and build the Ben Rhydding momentum we all love and know. Despite the unexpected chaos that ensued, the team managed to keep their composure. Archie, in particular, took it upon himself to take charge of the game. He was like a man on a mission, determined to put the defenders in his back pocket and show them who was boss. And it wasn't long before his enthusiasm brought the team into the game, his fellow attackers started to work their magic, supplying Bob Priestly with the perfect assist he needed to make it 2-1. The game was just getting started. Jamie took charge declaring a change in press from the back. It was a bold move, but the team knew they had to do something to turn things around, scrapping the infamous German Press so preciously loved by Charlie Smith. So, they promptly proceeded to deliver high pressure to the ball, and then, out of nowhere, came Bobby. Dragging the ball left and right displaying a magnificent show of skill. He flicked the ball towards the post, for a moment, it seemed like the ball had missed. The crowd held their breath as the ball hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. But then, miraculously, it bounced off the post and into the side netting of the goal. The crowd erupted in cheers, amazed at the sheer audacity and precision of Bobby's shot, what some would call luck. We were now well and truly in the game 2-2. The high level of hockey continued, with the team winning a good number of penalty corners. As usual, it was the skipper's call on what to do, which usually went something like "straight to me at the top." But to everyone's surprise including himself, that wasn't what he said this time around. Instead, the ball was to go to the top D for a disguised pass back post from Will McHugh. The injection and stick stop were perfect, but McHugh wound back his stick to hit the ball and instead slipped on top of it, turning over possession. Just a small blip. We held faith in McHugh to deliver the pass on his next attempt. And deliver he did. Archie deflected the ball into the goal, putting us at 3-2 going into the second half. Rhydding started the second half full of confidence, ball pace, passing and work rate all improved as the team took control. Doug and Fraser were superior in the middle of the pitch causing all sorts of problems for the Driffield side. And it wasn’t long before Richard scored. We won’t go into too much detail but let’s just say that a goal is a goal, right Richard? The rest of the half saw another goal from Driffield, bringing the score to 4-3. But let's be honest, we were just teasing them at this point. Our left back, Olly Laxton, finally had a change of heart and decided to defend for the first time in the game. Having won the ball, he made his way up the pitch to find himself outside the top of Driffield’s D. The entire team was yelling at him to pass, having ignored this he worked his way around each defender and slotted the ball in the bottom left corner from the top of the D. A crowd-pleasing goal to end the promotion winning game. 5-3. MOM – Fraser with a close contender Archie who both had excellent games. DOD – Olly for asking to be on the pitch when we win and dressing like a Tory – not to the teams liking. |
