Men's 4XI vs Epsom Mustangs

Hi all. Well isn’t it just great to get back to winning ways? And not just some fluky, pull-it-out-at-the-last-minute win, but a deserved, dominating performance which closely matched our first derby game against Mustangs, where the result was never in doubt and the scoring was entirely reflective of the match itself.

First up, props to the defence for playing so calmly, even when under pressure. The Pringle LB experiment worked, and we were able to bend but not break even when the Mustangs came at us in numbers.

Then some fantastic work in the midfield put us in positions to dominate possession and create our own pressure by breaking away.

And finally a complete game from all the forwards, finding space and playing quickfire hockey, using a mixture of patience, graft and experience to carve out probably a dozen chances or more. Torben conceded that we deserved to win that, and I make him right.

A comprehensive warm up and chat put us straight into top gear, allowing us to get on with the gameplan as soon as the whistle went. We managed to get our noses in front and looked dangerous down the flanks, perhaps more than at any time this season. With different looks and options, we unsettled the Mussies defence, crashing through with runs and with long balls, helped by the fact we managed to make the ball stick so well this week. Bertie, Loz and Gaz were trapping some really challenging passes at speed, and had acres of space in front of them as the Mustangs played a surprisingly high line.

We got round the back of that line several times, and took our chances. Mussies definitely had a spell half way through the first half, where some smart defending and solid goalkeeping kept them at bay. Going into the half 2-0 suited our gameplan down to the ground, and if Ludders had pulled the trigger more urgently, and Loz hadn’t decided to clear his own goal-bound shot, we would have been three or four clear at the break.

The second half was the same story. Mustangs continued to run into our defensive cul-de-sacs, and left us one-on-one with their defensive lines. Some fantastic passing from Pringle, Gaz, Duncs and the midfielders allowed us to exploit that space time and again. We scored two or three textbook byline-to-p-spot-then- tuck-it-away goals, and the Mussies didn’t really have an answer to it.

Only late in the game when we had a comfortable margin did we slow down the intensity and let them come onto us a little bit too much. But despite conceding nine short corners they only scored from one, and that was with minutes left in the game. We had stonewalled them for 65 minutes, despite their age and pace.

This was the consummate team win. Strong games from everyone, in all phases of our play, back up by good calling, excellent running off the ball, and perhaps most importantly, cool heads. Cool, experienced, disciplined heads controlling the game, and dictating the way it was played, just as we planned. We looked confident, creative and mentally strong, underpinned by good preparation, an effective plan, and some top drawer individual performances. So it puts us in a great place to have a little run, now we’re hitting the most challenging part of the schedule.

Spike

Made six or seven unspectacular but critical saves in the first half, keeping a clean slate at half time and backing up some fantastic defensive work in front of him. Got selection and player positioning right, got in the way of stuff, and didn’t get carded. As the similarly bandana-ed Ice Cube once said, I got to say today was a good day.

Jonno

Big game from Jonnyboy “Williamaire” Williams. Didn’t let a thing past him, stuck to his assignments like a Year 9 teachers pet, and used every minute of his _very extensive_ hockey experience to slow things down, get out of trouble, and frustrate the oppo. That right side feels so secure when JW is in that spot. He’s possibly not our most creative player (although I have to say that part of his game is very serviceable indeed) but I think I’m right in saying that he must be our most reliable.

Farmer

Great to have the big man back in the middle, clogging up space like a human-sized blob of cholesterol. Farmer played a sensible, patient and calmly effective game, (I know!) using space, instinct and body control to get in front of Mustang forwards, and make life difficult for them as they tried to penetrate into the D. I’m not entirely sure what their shape was, but if they had a centre forward he didn’t get much past Farmer’s combine harvester of a right arm, that much I do know.

Toby

Really bright game I thought, coming in to a new team and playing slightly out of position. With a mixture of raw pace, hockey smarts, and a natural instinct to be around the ball when needed and dropping off when required, he helped us look fresh and secure in the screen. Of course it didn’t help that Farmer was calling him different non-Toby names all game, but despite this confusion he supplied us with time and space to regroup, the necessary grit to mix it up in the screen position, and the legs to help us break out. A very impressive debut.

Duncs

Another demonstration of confidence, control and (sit down and steady yourselves) attacking aggression, Duncs simply dominated the area around our D. No one could get near him, he attracted opposition players like Pringle family members to a bratwurst barbecue, and he made them look silly. He either out-turned them, out-thought them, or drew a foul. His possession obsession gives everyone a chance to regroup and find new areas of the field to run into, and that’s how we were able to break so cleanly. And then what about those drives into the D??? This must’ve been how the Germans felt at Cambrai when they saw a tank for the first time. Strange-looking, slow and rumbling but devastatingly effective nonetheless!

Bertie

Heroic performance in one of the hardest positions to play. Tasked with man-marking Torben (and who wants to do that?) but also breaking up play as well as providing a creative edge in the middle, Bertie did a jaw-droppingly good job. Dealing with Pringle’s Exocet passes as if they were go-easy ping pong serves, prodding his stick in against players four times his size (and in some cases, his age), and showing a really impressive ability to receive, turn and lay off to supporting forwards, gave us a deadly counter attacking option. I really enjoyed watching Bertie’s performance and he managed to sail blithely through some pretty choppy waters in the first half with maturity, calmness and not a small amount of pure ability.

Kwesi

Neat and tidy showing from the Kwezter, showing good energy, running and willingness. Looked confident on the ball, stretched tiring defences really effectively, especially when we needed some respite at the back, and chased down runners as if his life depended on it. And that’s what midfield play is all about: supporting attackers and covering defenders, with some fancy schmancy stuff thrown in to boot. This was a decent showing with some fine touches, not too far away from the masterpieces we know he can produce.

Jack A

A superior performance from a superior player. He might moan that he doesn’t get the service that someone of his pedigree is used to, but he doesn’t actually mind doing the grunt work himself. And not only did he make a proper nuisance of himself, he got into some ridiculously good positions. Sliding in from the right hand side suits his game really well, and watching him ghost past players is always one of the highlights of our fixtures. Bagged himself a classic goal, and looked a class above all match long. Loses marks for subbing on for Gaz when he was on a hat trick, however.

Jack MF

A break out game for Morgs, and one that’s certainly been coming. A stint in the screen showed us a whole new side to his game, one of calmness, confidence and maturity, as he twisted and turned his way out of trouble, drawing in players and opening up spaces in front of him. As I’ve said before, there’s not many better technical players than Morgs, but ally that with grit and determination, plus what appears to be a pretty solid understanding of situational hockey, and we may have just solved our Tom Nickels shaped problem.

Kris

What an absolutely quality return to the fold, after 815 years away from hockey. He still hads the legs, he still has the stick control, and of course he still has that confusing-nearby-ospreys screech. Must have run half a marathon today up and down that left flank, but he arrived on time in the D, and he got back goal side of his man every time. That kind of intensity is what I was talking about in my pre-game novella, and when we get that kind of commitment from players, it’s not a huge leap of logic to figure why we come away with a dominating victory.

Ludders

Relatively straightforward game for the man who asked - five months into the season - what formation we play. Because really all Ludders had to do was beat the last man and get behind the back three at the base line. The fact that he did this about twenty times in the game proves a) that the Mustangs weren’t very good at in-game adjustments, but also b) that Ludders is very good at what he does. His receiving was top drawer today, his runs were intelligent, and his link up play gave us a huge advantage, especially in the second half when we were able to counter attack very effectively. Pleased to see the lad back on the score sheet with something like last season’s regularity. He just needs to first-time some of those balls as they come into the D - the keepers at this level are no dopes, and they will close you down quickly and forcefully. But today, in space, Ludders was awesome.

Loz

A typically Lawrence performance from Lawrence, with plenty of burst, trickery and burnt calories. Our primary receiver when the ball was worked up the right via Jonno and Jack, he pulled the defence all over the place like the plasticine comedy characters they are, hit the D positively and at pace, and caused all sorts of havoc when bearing down on the keeper. Scored a lovely goal and would have had another were it not for an amazing last ditch jab off the line - by Lawrence! How or why someone would change the trajectory of a ball by 120° when it’s about to dribble over the line I guess we’ll never know. But I imagine there’ll be some champagne corks popping among the South East Asian betting syndicates tonight.

Gaz

So so close to getting Man of the Match today. We don’t score all those goals without Gaz - some of his downhill running, flicked passes, and head-spinningly fun touches had Mustangs all ends up, and when Gaz got on the end of some of those long range passes, we looked likely every time. And that Pringle-Gaz Express route has to be an option for us going forward, as we were able to totally bypass a quick and willing midfield with one good pass and one gorgeous touch. Some new boots in the second half would have surely cemented his claim for best player award. Not only does their luminescence distract pilots circling Gatwick, but they appear to be some kind of comedy roller skates as well. Alas lying down on the job just doesn’t cut it in this team, so it’s runner up for Gazza.

Pringle

A game bigger and meatier than a Christmas dinner chez Pringle. Not only did he slot in seamlessly into the back three, but he had perhaps his best game of the last two years. Everything came off. He defended like a demon, he stampeded up the pitch like a particularly enthusiastic extra from _The Charge of the Light Brigade_, and his passing had the range, power and accuracy of the _Bismark_. Launching salvo after salvo up the pitch, we were able to keep the Mussies pinned back and irrelevant for long periods of this game, simply because we were able to break out from 16s easily - and with variety. Pringle’s runs up the pitch were as unstoppable as an Alpine avalanche, a migration of wildebeest, or a drunk middle aged man at a ladies hockey disco. Whatever, it was a thing of beauty, and what with the rest of his all round game, this week’s MoM goes to Rhino Rob Pringle. Congratulations!

It feels really good to get that result - but more so to have played so well in every area of the pitch. I’m not going to get carried away, but if we keep that as our baseline standard, teams are going to have to really outclass us to come away with an easy win. The only sure things in life are death, taxes and - as Farmer demonstrated today - being right when you’re playing the Mustangs and shout “make sure your pass goes to an Epsom player”. You can’t argue with that. So while we can’t guarantee a win like that every week, it is in our power to produce a performance like that every week. Let’s focus on that, and the results will come accordingly.

Well done today everyone - and I mean everyone. Get yourselves fit and available for next week v Spencer- it’s going to be tough, but we owe them a pasting.

See you then,

Spike