Worcester Men's 2's denied top of the league win

Harborne vs Worcester 23rd Feb 2016

Result: 3-2

A game of massive importance stood before the Worcester second team this week for 3 reasons 1. they were about to play the team they were joint top of the league with. 2. the first time round Worcester were well beat with a score line of 2-7 to Harborne. 3. Chris Watling the 2nd team skipper decided he had other more important things to do.

So with Hooper taking the captaincy on this game the focus was on how the seconds wouldn’t make the same mistakes as last time round and try and take the 3 points to go clear at the top of the table. A really strong team assembled at nunnery wood and hit the road. Joe Hughes was keen to find out if he was to play in another new position to add to 6 he’d already played in so far this season. This must have been playing on his mind more then we knew as he was navigator for one of the cars and with the 2 of the 3 cars arriving as planned Daltons car was nowhere to be seen. As game time loomed the 3rd car arrived and with all 3 passengers looking very smart, we later found out they had an unscheduled stop at the bullring we can only guess that they found the menswear on the 3rd floor at Selfridges. They also got to see Villa park and Cadbury world. I don’t know either but Joe is quite right he was only navigator and Dalton was steering. Hooper made the team wait until minutes before the game and the line-up was announced, this was mainly due to 4 of his team only just arriving in time.

The game started with Worcester a little nervy and Harborne took the ball straight down the pitch in to the D but ran the ball off the back line. Worcester responded instantly and took full control of the game and played the ball round holding long periods of pressure and wave after wave of attack. As the confidence grew and Worcester looked to capitalise the defence over committed and Harborne managed to get a fast break and with a clever pass followed by a simple square ball gave Harborne an early lead. Worcester didn’t seem to worry and continued pressing high up the pitch and again the final touch letting us down and when the shot was fired at the harborne goal it was straight at the goal keeper. With fast break hockey the only threat Harborne offering Worcester were again in full control and press them back inside the 22 yard line but they did break and the Worcester defence were called in to action. Joe Hughes who was working hard and winning any ball that came near him also was spraying the ball round in great fashion this created one of the more difficult bits to write about it went something like this….

Harborne broke with a long ball their forward who was also the league’s top scorer was made to look ordinary by Joe as he took the ball clean, Joe moved the ball to Joe at right back who played the ball back inside to Joe and with a quick pass in to Joe at CM, Joe then passed the ball out right to Joe who charged down the wing and the ball was fired in to the D…. Joe was on the end of that pass and tried to get the shot away. Great move by Hughes, Sullivan and Barker.

Harborne managed to break again but this time with numbers and as Worcester players came back to help Dalton had already had to make 1 save and as the support arrived the Harborne forward picked his spot and fired the ball in to the box of Dalton. Due to the way the ball was saved it would have taken something special to get the ball any distance away from his goal line and as the ball dropped straight down Harborne were first to react 2-0 and very much against the run of play the first half ended.

The half time team talk was actually very upbeat as worcs boys knew that they were in full control of the game even though they were behind Hooper made a couple of points and asked a couple of questions of his team but was careful not to direct anything towards Steve Grant as he thought he would be unlikely to be able to finish any answer or sentence or even his dinner if it was in front of him due to Grant not finishing any of the chances he had in the first half.

As the 2nd half started the main problem was working out who was vice captain with Joe Hughes and Tom Dalton both fighting for the title Hooper announced Hughes to be his deputy and with Joe grinning having won that personal battle, Hooper was seen pointing at Dalton whispering “it’s you really”.

Joe Barker made a friend in the early minutes of the second half as he sent a missile in to the harborne midfielder and them minutes later managed to pick out the same guy in the same place on his leg with a faster missile, that player seemed to call the umpire for Joe to be sent off. I didn’t know that miss-hits or shear incompetence was a cardable offence. Joe apologised to that player but I don’t think the player could see who said it due to the tears of pain blurring his vision.

Worcester continued to have all the possession but the chances were still missing the target until Dom Sullivan picked the ball up beat his man with a great piece of skill and fired a reverse across the keeper to make it 2-1. This lifted Worcester and with more pressure mounting the Worcester boys were creating all sorts of problems. The second Worcester goal came minutes later to make it 2-2 when Joe Barker flicked the short corner high in to the goal. Unfortunately Worcester switched off and Harborne struck back instantly to make it 3-2.

Worcester continued to dominate the play and still looked the most likely to go on and win the game but with good chances missed and well worked shots stopped by the keeper the Worcester boys could not get back level. Ollie Ranscombe was very unlucky not to score when he hit a first time shot towards the top corner but was denied a big diving hand pad and great save from the home keeper. As he was going to collect his shot from behind the goal for the long corner he stopped to pick the ball up and for the second week in a row his legs carried on as he hit the floor in a heap just a little squeak of “not again” popped out. With his team mates all enjoying the moment it provided a slight delay and a small break in play.

Worcester couldn’t get level and so slipped back to 3rd position but with a game in hand will hope to be in position to capitalise on any slip the top 2 make.

Man of the match was Dom Sullivan (Joe Hughes and Joe Sullivan also had stand out performances)

Special award goes to Captain Watling for picking Tennis ahead of Hockey.