WHC 3s v Grange 6s

Another cold and wet/snowy(1) afternoon at Tipperlinn.

WHC, smarting from defeat at the hands of Grange the week before put together a positive warm-up despite the conditions and a late push back due to the Grange umpire being held up at previous game(2).

It was a bright start too from WHC with the new 3-2-3-2 formation enabling sharp passing and positive movement.

An early break on the right flank gave Cannon possession near the baseline just inside the Grange D. Cries of “Don’t shoot from that angle” from the WHC bench(3) were closely followed by cheers and congratulations (1-0).

Encouraged by their lead WHC continued to press. Opportunities in front of goals came and went including a couple of poorly executed short corners(4).

Perhaps buoyed by their apparent resilience Grange got themselves back in the contest and Swanson was required to make a couple of smart saves in the WHC goal.

Then at the third time of asking the WHC corner routine came good. The ball was controlled at the top and then slipped back to the injector for Taylor to finish efficiently (2-0).

Although 2-0 at half time was an encouraging statistic and the WHC defence was looking solid, it was agreed by all that more short, sharp interplay in midfield was required to maintain control in the second half.

And so it was as play resumed. The ball was moving fast between WHC sticks, creating space to both run and pass into. Attacks on the Grange D were regular and so were the desperate tackles from their defenders. The resulting short corners came to nothing though. It was comforting at least that the couple of corners Grange were awarded at the other end were equally average.

Eventually the persistent barrage on the Grange goal brought results. A rebound off the goalie and/or defenders was pounced on by Booth for a goal from all of a metre(5) (3-0).

This seemed to make the difference and shortly after the restart a string of cutting passes from midfield forward culminated in a straightforward back post finish from Vere (4-0).

Not much later another superbly placed pass from MOM Stewart found Booth in front of the goalie with time to pull it out of his reach and slot it home behind the pads for his second of the day (5-0).

It was about now that the umpire’s chat to the Grange captain about deliberate fouls to break down play was punished. Strangely it was WHC captain Stewart who received a green card. The offence didn’t warrant the loss of the MOM award so how could it justify a spell on the naughty step?

No need to panic though, indeed WHC continued to attack and before Stewart had got a jacket on to keep warm Booth was back in possession on the penalty spot. Again he rounded the keeper. However he was destined to be DOD(6) rather than hat trick hero as the ball slid past the post(7).

The WHC attacks continued regardless, as did the last ditch defending until it took a back stick to prevent Evans from scoring and a penalty flick was awarded. The Grange protest earned the culprit a yellow card to go with it. Unfortunately the wiley old dog in the Grange goal psyched out the young striker. Changing his mind late on, he edged the ball just wide(8).

So it finished 5-0 with a very cold WHC team warmed by victory over old rivals and with a few goals to show for it (albeit less than there should have been).

Thanks to Fedz for umpiring.

A few alternative facts

1. This is clear evidence that global warming is just myth and nonsense.
2. The restrictions on those from certain clubs travelling to the Colinton Road campus are for the protection of the WHC and in no way hinder the legitimate activities of genuine hockey players and officials.
3. The highly knowledgeable substitutes and supporter where simply diverting the attention of the Grange defence to create the opportunity and have been wholly misrepresented by the media.
4. Grange had at least 2.5 million defenders on the line for corners and this was blatantly overlooked by the establishment sympathetic to their cause.
5. The blistering shot from the edge of the D, past the ear of the keeper and into the roof of the net put everyone else on the pitch to shame. Those present have therefore conspired to collectively report something far more mundane to protect their own interests.
6. There is no evidence what so ever of Russian influence over the voting (Ну, может быть, мало доказательств).
7. The contractors brought from south of the border to build an impenetrable barrier in front of the WHC goal found that there was already one there. Frustrated by the lack of need for their services they decided to start moving and altering the size of the goal at the other end.
8. Further evidence that labour imported from other countries cannot be trusted to do a job properly for WHC as the goal post clearly shifted left.