19th Sep 2020 Mens 5th v Adel(Home) 3 - 3 draw
With the early finish of last season and slow re-introduction of hockey over the Summer months, both the Ben Rhydding and Adel teams were keen to name big squads for this pre-season friendly. By pushback Rhydding had lost 4 players and an umpire with concerns linked to the current virus situation but were still able to name a side made up mostly of last year’s 5th team plus giving senior debuts to some young players.
In an attempt to fix some of last season’s problems and build a system to fit the players in the squad, a new formation was in place for this game and it’s fair to say that it took a while for the defence in particular to sort out their roles and communication as Adel took an early 2-0 lead through open play. Ben Rhydding didn’t let their heads go down though and Harlen pulled a goal back before the end of the quarter with a full stretch lunge to slip the ball home following a ball in from the left.
Quarter 2 saw some tweaks to positions and players and Rhydding started seeing a little more of the ball with youngsters Jones and Threlfall growing in confidence and taking the ball forwards while Butts on his return to the team was making life difficult for the opposition midfielders. Adel got a third goal from a short corner that was slipped left and their player had too long to pick his spot.
Going into quarter 3 the plan was starting to come together. Jackson and Blackburn at the back had rekindled their partnership from last season, while Jones and Shutt filled in any gaps and Josiah Wood in goal was always alert to anything that did get through. The energy of Johnny Wood and Till meant Rhydding were starting to hold the ball in the opposition half a bit more and Dawson and Harlen on the wings were more threatening while Andre was causing a nuisance upfront.
Still trailing by 2 goals at the beginning of quarter 4, Ben Rhydding stuck to their task and were rewarded with their only short corner of the match. Despite having spent 90 minutes practising these earlier in the week, Dawson used his experience to confuse both the attack and defence by pushing to a completely unexpected place, however it meant Wood was free to have a shot on goal which he duly dispatched. Spaces were starting to appear on the pitch now and Rhydding went forwards well and were rewarded for their effort when Tilbrook grabbed an equaliser with a deceptively slow reverse stick push.
For a pre-season friendly this was a competitive match played in a good spirit, and both teams will be happy enough with the 3-3 score line.