Results

WOMENS 3RD XI - 18/02/2023 VS NORTH NORFOLK 1 (A) 
 
TEAM: Womens 3rd XI 
DATE: 18/02/2023 
FIXTURE: Womens 3rd XI VS 18/02/2023 
HEADLINE: A day at the seaside!  
LEAGUE: EAST DIVISION 2 NORTH EAST 
VENUE: North Norfolk 
RESULT: DREW 2-2 
 
REPORT: 
Let’s start at the beginning....! Once upon a time a game of womens hockey required at least 22 womens, a pitch, ball, and two umpires (one that made extra good friends with our fantastic full back Longy).  
 
After the initial period of getting use to the sandy pitch. City dominated the first half, our approach was short ball hockey which was the only way to play due to the ball leaving lines in the sand. We had some strong play through the middle via Angi ‘hurricane’ Hindle and the dynamic Brockington’s who moved the ball, our first goal came from a short corner routine and was slotted away nicely by Helen Brockington. North Norfolk came back strong and trotted down to our end and the infamous four kept them out by all means possible! Even if it meant Longy nearly breaking one of her nails! After a ream of short corners we still kept them at bay!  
As the first half continued Holly Blackham and Chloe Holmes held their own against a physical opposition - well done! We found ourselves again in the oppositions D and Evie Brockington took control and crashed home No.2 into the bottom left hand corner from the top of the circle. 
 
Ali took our half time team chat with clip board in hand - keep the width, communicate and stay with your players! Whilst twitching those famous eyebrows!  
 
Ok, so second half started and North Norfolk came out wanting revenge and wanting the game more than us.....!  
Their first goal was well deserved play into the bottom right hand corner, however their second one was dubious and even though it was acknowledged that it was kicked at the top of the D, play carried on regardless, and with a goal mouth scuffle yes girls it went in! We felt a little aggrieved as the match finished 2-2.  
 
Player of the match went to our ninja goal keeper Serena who made some cracking saves and blocked numerous attempts with some cracking moves (the pre match playlist certainly helped). 

WOMENS 5TH XI - 18/02/2023 VS NORWICH DRAGONS 4 (A) 
 
TEAM: Womens 5th XI 
DATE: 18/02/2023 
FIXTURE: Womens 5th XI VS 18/02/2023 
HEADLINE: Early start at dragons  
LEAGUE: EAST DIVISION 3 NORTH EAST (NORTH) 
VENUE: goals 
RESULt: 1-0 lost  
The 5’s were raring to go for the rescheduled match against Dragons 4’s, missing Amy, Netty and Sofia this week, Sam, Anna and Amelie kindly helped us out.  
Dragons started strong and pressed hard in our half and put us under pressure, defenders Alli, Jess, Sam, Millie and Emma stayed strong, Chloe distributed some great balls out to the wing, picked up by Bev, connecting well with Anna and Alice Hood. Great to have Marie back who played some great balls onto the forwards. 
A short corner was given to Dragons just at the half time whistle, determined to keep the score 0-0 keeper Jo cleared the ball out of the D.  
Half time talk by coach Ali, we came out strong and pushed up more. 
Sophie winning some great tackles, Alice B doing some great runs, Rose was strong on the left and had a shot on goal, saved by the keeper. 
The opposition continued to challenge our defence, City didn’t give up, defending short corners well, Amelie did great job running number 1, Alli great save off the line and POTM Jo Di-Corpo was kept busy. 
City stayed strong continued to push but Dragon’s perseverance paid off, passing the ball about the D and slotting it past us into the back of the net. 
Final whistle went, was a very enjoyable game and everyone played so well against the mighty Dragons. 
 

MENS 1ST XI - 19/02/2023 VS ST ALBANS 1 (A) 
 
TEAM: Mens 1st XI 
DATE: 19/02/2023 
FIXTURE: Mens 1st XI VS 19/02/2023 
HEADLINE: Rare February Sunshine And A Well Earned 3 Points For Men's 1s  
LEAGUE: CONFERENCE MIDLANDS 
VENUE: Oaklands College  
RESULT: 2-1 W 
 
REPORT: 
The glorious weather was only to be ruined by St Albans being petty and making us change ends during the warmup and then switch ends back at the toss, make up your mind lads. Thankfully all they did was handcuff themselves when the Sun was lower In the 2nd half.  
St Albans came out the blocks fast, lots of space out wide and a few D entries, but thankfully no short corners or goalwardbound shots to defend. They continued this high intensity start by pressing high and making it hard to play out the back. But this meant we had space to run and after Rich Green found Cam Cooke out wide to the right and he moved into their 23 before playing a through ball into the D to find Josh Baker reaching for a deflection we found ourselves 1-0 up. Q1: 1-0. 
2nd quarter was much more of the same. St Albans pressing high, a few D entries to either side, neither making it pay. Alex Scott did receive a green but City were more than able to hold on for 2minutes a man down. HT: 1-0. 
The 2nd half was really where this game came alive. 5 minutes in after a superb Harry Brown pick from a deflection and Elliot Hibell won a foul just outside our D, Krishna Patel stepped up to launch a quickly taken aerial down to Cam Cooke who rounded the keeper and hit the ball in from the most impossible of angles at the baseline for a 2 goal lead. A few minutes later Tom Cooke found Elliot Hibell but his reverse shot was saved. Shortly afterwards St Albans won their 1st short corner of the game and after a foot on the line had been awarded a penalty flick and had drawn themselves back into the tie. They continued to thrive winning another short corner but thankfully Tom Harris was on hand for a phenomenal hip height clearance on the line. Q3: 2-1 to City. 
Quarter 4 was nervy from both sides, the tension only building as short corners were traded back and forth but no goals for either side. Both teams continued to leave it all on the pitch with St Albans throwing everything forward but the City defensive front was equal to it all. Very physically demanding day at the office, and showed superb mental resilience to knuckledown and hang on in the final quarter after we let them back in. 
Unfortunately UoN leapfrogged us on goal difference so we remained 3rd but we face them next week with the opportunity to pull away from the rest of the pack into 2nd. Aswell as be mathematically secure in our place in national league for 2023/24 with 3 points.