Southend 1st XI 8 - 0 Maldon & Little Baddow 2nd XI
Easy win for Mens first team
Maddow, a game frought with danger. Would everyone remember the Chelmsford summer league game and turn this one into another battle. What sort of team would they turn out? Who knows?
Yet again it was another week full of changes to the team and another newish formation. This time we were without Puppy, John Reynolds and both the Styles brothers (Lee for the second week running!) which meant that the youngsters Jones and Danbrook were in the team, Crowhurst was yet again in midfield and Paul Mellish was given the centre midfield "John Reynolds" destroyer role.
Fortunately all our worries were over very quickly as we seemed to score almost straight away via a Strawberry short corner. In the end the win was easy and we managed to coast through scoring 8 goals. We probably could have got more but the team seemed to ease up and didnt do the supporters (including our new fan club Wapping Ladies) justice. Still another three points and the good run continues.
The goals went like this (in no particular order):
Strawberry - Short corner strike (hit really hard)
Strawberry- Short corner beat his man and flicked into the net
Crowhurst - Can't remember!!!
Crowhurst - Last hit of the game nice finish from the top of the D
Leggett - "Chipped" over the keeper
Leggett - Neat deflection from really hard Strawberry hit
Arnold - Finished into empty net after nice good team move
Robeson - Scored what wa rumoured to be his first ever goal after another fine team move left him with an open goal
Team - Christie, P Harvey, Hayman, Danbrook, Mellish, Robeson, Jones, Crowhurst, Arnold, Leggett
Goals - Crowhurst 2, Utton 2, Leggett 2, Arnold, Robeson (!!!)
Southend 2nd XI 3 – 0 Sudbury 2nd XI
Goalscorer(s): Watson & Puncher 2
As in the previous match Southend were again without key personnel for their match against Sudbury, a club now selecting from a 1s/2s squad from game to game. So it was with immense satisfaction that the 4 3rd XI players called up fitted seamlessly within the existing team setup. None more so than Daniel “Stress” Needham who was outstanding at left midfield and may well find himself in contention for a place in the all important run in for Championship honours.
Unlike previous recent matches Southend began strongly playing fast, controlled hockey. A short corner within ten minutes buried by the latest corner striker, Watson, but set up by the influential Druce was no less than deserved. Five minutes later another short corner strike by Watson, saved by the keeper, was steered home by the returning Puncher (controlled it beautifully, looked to flick into the roof of the net, keeper and defence jumped to stop it but a woeful effort meant the ball rolled gently along the ground under the despairing feet of the defence!).
Southend continued apace and whilst the teams turned round at 2-0, Morgan & Walsh had squandered enough clear-cut chances to have won 3 matches………………..each!
The second half was much the same as the first (Yes, Ginge & Micky). Puncher added the 3rd goal, lashing the ball home following smart work by Hastings, who had replaced the flagging Fallows.
Note for Steve Lockwood: Please check BEFORE the start of the game next week that you are not using your son's hockey stick! (yours is the shorter one).
Harlow beat Chelmsford to remain just 5 points back with 5 games to play.
Team: M Scott, J McPhee, M Watson, D Needham, K Druce, G Cheeseman, B Puncher, M Fallows, J Morgan, S Lockwood (Capt.), G Hastings & M Walsh
Southends 3rd XI 0 - 2 Brentwood 6th XI
Southends 3rd XI were disappointed to lose 2-0 to Brentwood 6th XI on Saturday. Thanks should go to Brentwood for supplying both umpires at the last minute when Southend were let down by 2 late cancellations.
Colin Digby made a tentative return and played well as a centre forward and John Evans deserves a huge credit for marshalling the defence throughout the game. In fact everyone who made it to the game played well - but with the 1st and 2nd XI's skiers piste 'd off for the weekend and the injuries to some and the continued lack of commitment from others that have been the twin curses of the threes all season the result was pretty much a forgone conclusion. Both goals were scored in
the second half - one from a shot at the top of the D, and one from a flick when Sam Brooks saved a certain goal with his foot, giving the keeper a second chance - but a decent flick made it 2-0.
Southend & Benfleet Ladies 1st XI 5 - 1 Basildon Ladies
Well what a remarkable turnaround!!!
A much better game than the previous week and a fantastic win.
We were back upto our full strength with thirteen players and what a difference it made. We started with the majority of the possession and it didn’t really change from there. We had to work hard to get the first goal which didn’t come till half way through the first half scored by Claire Powell, she scored another soon after and we finished the half 2-0 up.
The second half was pretty much the same with the defence up on the half way line and the mid-field feeding through to the forwards. We were able to push up both wing mid-fields and have a strong attacking side. Claire Powell managed to sneak in two more goals, past a weak Basildon defence before they played one of their best players and got awarded a short corner. Basildon tried hard to put us away but we had a very strong defence who manage to keep them out. However they did get a scrappy goal after our keeper was down and they scramble the ball out from underneath her.
But… we just scored another to prove it didn’t matter. Claire Powell again got the final goal but we were quite sure it could have been scored by a few other players, but Claire said it was her’s so we’ll let her have another!!!!
The game ended with a tremendous score of 5-1 to us. Yipee.
An excellent game and a well deserved rest next week. Hope you all have a good half term and will see you back on the 26th Feb.
Team: L,Ballard. S,Watkinson. S,Revell. R,Goddard. G,Swain. A,Johnson. K,Colman. N,Bryant. L,Sharples. C,Rose. H,Middleton. C,Powell. N,Barker.
Goal Scorers: C,Powell. 5
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