2nd Mar 2019 Mens 3rd v Wakefield 4(Home) 4 - 2 win
A fabulous hard fought victory against second placed Wakefield, probably the best team performance of the season.
We started intensely, characterised by Tom Young nearly creating an opening by pressurising a defender at top D and stealing the ball from him. This galvanized the team and our pressure soon told as Andy Sutherland picked up a loose ball at the edge of the D and thundered an unstoppable strike into the bottom left corner.
We continued to press, winning a few short corners but failing to convert. But gradually Wakefield came into the game. They equalised with a well worked move down their left. 1-1 at half time.
The second half started with Ben Rhydding continuing to do most the pressing. Higgitt looked certain to score deflecting a Hudson smash into the D but somehow the accomplished Wakefield keeper managed to stop it. And then Wakefield won a rare short corner which they scored with a well executed training ground move.
This upped Ben Rhydding's determination and Joe Cussons managed to squeeze home an equaliser from a goal mouth scramble at a short corner breakdown. Cussons Senior then put us into the lead at the end of another scramble in the D.
As Wakefield sought to press for their equaliser Joe Cussons went on one of his trademark runs cutting in from right wing to top D and unleashed a reverse stick strike which ballooned off a defenders stick over the goalkeeper to give us a 2 goal cushion.
But it was arguably at 4-2 that Ben Rhydding played their best hockey, keeping possession well and pressing Wakefield intensively when out of possession to make sure they had no way back into the match.
All the team put in some of their best performances of the season. The young defence of Dunn, Horsman and Bretherick with not so young Rayner sweeping in front of them marshalled the Wakefield attack well and worked the ball out of defence calmly and assuredly. The midfield of Hudson, Sutherland and Cussons created the spark for our attacks and worked tirelessly to contain the Wakefield midfield. The front line of Cussons, Higgitt and Young, supported by the fresh legs of Roberts and Worthington never stopped working.
Man of the match went to Andy Sutherland for his fantastic first goal and continuous work.