LEAGUE HOCKEY
PLASHET HOCKEY CLUB

Plashet 1 Vs Havering 2

31st January 2009



4 - 3

This week Plashet hosted Havering who have had a good run of results recently and were sitting in 4^th spot before the game.

What began as a roller coaster of a game actually produced a result in the first half, as all the goals and main play came from it. Havering themselves directed a great game plan from the start and attacked the Plashet backline. To their credit, it was them who went ahead with 5 minutes gone after some sloppy play by the Plashet defenders which allowed the Havering sticker to score a soft shot from a short corner. From the restart Plashet lifted their game and went in search of the equalizer, they managed to accomplish this through Inderjeet Singh who weaved through the Havering defenders and slotted his shot past the outstretched Havering keeper. As the game went on, it was fast and direct and saw chances from both sides to pull ahead. Through a bizarre decision, Havering went ahead again, after a loose ball in the Plashet 'D' was attempted to be cleared; the ball struck a Plashet defender on his back, once the ball had dropped to the floor, every player on the field stopped to see if the Plashet defender was ok, however one Havering player continued and slotted the ball into empty Plashet goal and to everyone's surprise the umpire allowed the goal to stand. After much deliberating, the game restarted with Plashet determined to get a result, Plashet were now threatening the Havering goal at will and producing clear chances to score. With 20 minutes gone of the first half, Hardeep Singh equalized for Plashet, maintaining his superb, goal a game record, after a great one, two with Himmat Singh, Hardeep pinpointed his shot into the bottom left corner from the top of the 'D'. With this new found impetus, Plashet maintained their relentless pressure on the Havering goal, which was rewarded 5 minutes later, this time Himmat received the ball on the 25 yard line, rounded 2 defenders and then dinked the ball over the diving keeper to allow Plashet to take the lead for the first time in the game. The game was now set in a pattern with both teams attacking, Havering this time equalized with 5 minutes remaining, again a weak goal from Plashet's point of view as a timid shot snuck past the outstretched Plashet shot stopper to tie the score at 3-3. However, Plashet restored the lead again straight away, this time, Himmat received the ball just outside the 25 yard line, he entered the 'D' with the keeper to beat, as the keeper advanced, Himmat neatly squared the ball to Hardeep who had the empty goal in front of him to tuck the ball away.

The second half saw a completely different game from both teams; it was subdued and very lackluster by both teams and produced very little action, let alone any goal scoring opportunities.

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.