Mens 1st XI v Blackheath

Details	Players
Season: Season 2008-2009 Date: 06.12.2008 Time: 13:00 Team: Mens 1st XI Competition: League Location: Home Opponent: Blackheath Our Score: 3 Opponent Score: 1 Result: Won	Chris Sciandro - 0 Goal(s) Matt Ansell - 1 Goal(s) Andy Williams - 0 Goal(s) James Godber - 0 Goal(s) Joel Shepherd - 0 Goal(s) Bryan Lock - 1 Goal(s) Chris Binns - 0 Goal(s) David Clayton - 0 Goal(s) David Beales - 0 Goal(s) Craig Paterson - 0 Goal(s) Cirdec Atkinson - 0 Goal(s) Alex Warner - 1 Goal(s)

Match Report(s)

Worthing against Blackheath in recent seasons has been a tense affair, with Blackheath beating Worthing at home last season. After last weeks draw against Eastbourne, Worthing were looking to maintain their position at the top of the table, but knew that they were going to be in for a tough afternoon as Blackheath had already beaten Eastbourne this season.

This would hopefully make the game a good spectacle for the watching Vice Presidents.

 

Capt. Ansell opted to make some subtle changes to the attacking formation and again started himself at CF assisted by Atkinson and Clayton wide of him. Worthing started strongly for the second week running, taking the game to Blackheath and retaining possession with tidy play from Warner, Sciandro and Ginnaw in the middle of the park. With Ginnaw keeping a tight rain on Blackheath’s ‘danger man’ Combes, they resorted to trying to fire a long ball from one end of the pitch to the other; these were easily picked off by Warner and Shepherd. With Combes not tracking Ginnaw when he attacked, he was able to run at the Blackheath defence and gained in confidence with the success he was having. Worthing cut through the Blackheath defence on a regular basis and Atkinson should have done better in front of goal on a couple of occasion. The sustained pressure resulted in Worthing winning a short corner and Warner stepped to put the ball into the net with his usual aplomb. Worthing then ran into difficulties of their own making, with personal discipline slipping despite the pre-match warnings from Capt. Ansell. Clayton took and enforced rest with a yellow card and Warner took a time out to chill out.   

Blackheath rarely threaten and when they did the busy Sciandro mopped up, or the formidable ‘rocks’ of Shepherd and Godber made sure that nothing passed them. With the temporary suspension and substitutions Worthing struggled to find rhythm in their play, but despite this, remained comfortably on top until half time.

 

Worthing started the second half well, controlled the play and spreading the ball from one side of the pitch to the other with accuracy and confidence. With Blackheath chasing the game and Worthing reached the heights in their play that recent weeks had promised. A second goal was there for the taking and up stepped Lock to power home to give Worthing that cushion. Intelligent play from Ansell and the continued threat of Clayton and Ginnaw down Worthing’s right kept Blackheath extremely busy and there defending became more and more desperate. Then as is usual in Worthing games a brief switch off and Blackheath were back in it again; with the CF getting in front of Godber (might I say for the only time all afternoon) and deflecting the cross post Binns.

Such if the confidence in the side now that these set backs are immediately put behind us and Worthing took the game straight back into Blackheath’s half and remained there. With the Blackheath goal keeper making a number of saves to frustrate Worthing, Ansell was on-hand to put in Worthing’s third when the ‘keeper presented the ball to him after being deceived by ‘strength’ of Warner’s initial shot. The desperation in Blackheath’s game boiled over and a yellow card for their right half took them down to 10 men. After throwing his stick at a cheeky supporter he decided not to return for the rest of the game. This then resulted in one of the strangest exchanges between the Blackheath players ever witnessed on a hockey pitch; with the Blackheath No14 threatening to take the team off the pitch in protest at the umpire’s decisions. What a strange lad!!!!!

Blackheath had two late short corners that were ably dealt with by Binns and Shepherd, but did not threaten the Worthing goal. A very pleasing afternoon’s work against one of the tougher teams in the league.  

Shepherd received the Man of the Match award after another solid performance, but recognition should also go to Ginnaw and Humphries who both worked tirelessly and were at the heart of a lot of the good work that Worthing produced in the game.

 

The side continues to improve but still needs to work on removing the defensive lapses that allow sides back into games and to turn the potential of the forward line; and the possession, that is being sustained during games, into goals.

 

 Next week Worthing entertains Old Bordenians at St Andrews.

 

Squad: Binns, Godber, Shepherd, Beales, Warner, Clayton. Ansell (Capt); Sciandro, Humphries, Lock, Ginnaw, Atkinson, Williams.