On a warm pleasant autumnal morning the Pippins worked hard as a team to grind out a win against a strong Redditch team.
The Pippins started slowly as it quickly became apparent that our opponents included 3 or 4 strong players who were comfortable on the ball; to combat this it was going to be crucial to move the ball quickly and effectively.
Alastair Borwell-Fox playing Sweeper proved a tower of strength at the back, ably supported in defence by Bella Fielden, Matt Boulton and Ben Lawrence. Throughout the match they kept tenaciously to their task and limited Redditch to sporadic opportunities.
In midfield the Pippins stepped up their work rate with Luke Bowerman and Thea Boyce in particular getting in the faces of their opponents. Once they got into their stride the Pippins looked more threatening, an impression which was finally to prove correct when a fine through ball from Cameron Palmer was coolly converted by Ethan McDonald-Smith.
Into the second half and Redditch came back into the match strongly, hitting the post with their most telling attack. The Pippins responded by pushing Tom Scotson and Ethan higher up the pitch looking for a clinical through ball to split the defence. As a result Tom was unlucky not to score when he was through 1-on-1 with the Keeper.
The pressure was building with several penalty corners and goal-line saves before Seb Hood calmly dribbled past several defenders in the "D" finishing from a tight angle.
There was still time for Redditch to force a final penalty corner from which they scored with the last action of an entertaining match.
Pippins Player of the Week: Alastair Borwell-Fox
Scorers: Ethan McDonald-Smith, Seb Hood
Pippins Team: Mason Lloyd, Alastair Borwell-Fox, Bella Fielden, Milly Short, Matthew Boulton, Seb Hood, Dan Rickman, Luke Bowerman, Ethan McDonald-Smith, Tom Scotson, Cameron Palmer, Ben Lawrence, Thea Boyce, Cara Nyamekye