LEAGUE HOCKEY
PLASHET HOCKEY CLUB

Plashet 1 Vs Havering 2



5 - 2

For this fixture, Plashet travelled away literally down the road to play a local derby against Havering 2’s

Plashet were quick to start this game and assumed domination of the game right from the initial pushback. There was great interchange between the midfield and the forward line for the boys in orange, spreading the ball around comfortably and effectively and creating chances early on. It took Plashet less than 10 minutes to create their first clear cut opening to score. Sandeep Singh picked the ball up in the centre of the park, exchanged a quick one, two on the edge of the Havering D with Sant Singh and was in on goal, one on one with the keeper, just as he was about to strike on goal, he was hacked from behind and denied a clear shooting opportunity by the Havering defender, the umpire had no choice but to blow for a penalty flick. Up stepped Verinder Singh and slotted the ball calmly past the keeper to put Plashet 1 nil up. Not long after, Plashet’s dominance paid dividends as Himmat Singh was in the right place to deflect the ball passed the standing Havering keeper from Inderjeet Singhs’ stinging free hit into the D. With 10 minutes left of the first half both teams were privy to see a goal of the season contender for Plashet, as Himmat received the ball on the Havering 25 yard line, his delightful first touch took him away from 2 Havering players, he then skipped past 2 more defenders on the edge of the D, and then found himself one on one with the keeper, when he calmly tucked the ball past the keepers left leg. This was truly a superb piece of individual skill which was admired by players and spectators a like.

The second half saw the men in orange take their foot off the gas considerably and allowed Havering to play some passing hockey of their own. As a result Havering did manage to create chances and trouble the Plashet defenders. After a string of short corners for Havering they managed to convert a rebound which was initially saved by the Plashet keeper to pull the score to 3 – 1.  As the game went on, Plashet managed to pick up their pace and started created chances to score. Soon after Sukvinder Singh scored from one of his trademark short corner strikes, the Havering keeper initially did well to reach the ball, but the shot was too strong and rolled into the empty goal.

With time counting down, it was fitting that Himmat secured his hatrick and Plashet’s fifth of the game with a simple tap in after some good build up play by Gurmukh Singh. With the game nearly over, a moment’s lapse in Plashet’s concentration allowed Havering to steal another consolation goal.

Overall a good first half performance by Plashet, but the score could have been very different had the men in orange started the second half in the same vain.