Colts vs Grange M8s

With the newly formed Watsonians Colts side not yet having started our league campaign, even though the league has been up and running for a month, to say we were eager was an understatement. The team sheet would see a full sixteen man squad. With only three senior players in the side, there would be a lot of energy for the opposition to handle.

The boys turned up to take in the second half of the M1s fixture. Though their game finished with an 8-3 win, it was the sight of the boys seeing their coach, Tom Swarbrick, actually playing hockey for the first time, which held their interest.

We had our warm-up on the lower astro and talked through what the boys could expect from their first game of men’s hockey. We needed to focus on working the ball round the pitch, and avoiding trying to take on the much more experienced Grange players, one-on-one.
The starting team was selected from the boys who triumphed against our very own Ladies 3rd XI. One big lose to the side would be Fraser Heigh and the five goals he scored that day, but a broken nose would keep him away from the Colts opener. We did have good substitutes in Yusuf Zahid and Sam Wilmot, with Murray Shearer and the Tandon brothers who had all recently just become eligible after turning fourteen.

We claimed the pass back and got the game underway. From the first minute we pressed high up the field, giving Grange a quick taste of what their afternoon grind would be all about. The Colts had listened to the team talk and were trying to beat their opposite numbers with passing and moving. Roddy Craig had a good opportunity at goal, but was turned round the post by the Grange keeper. We commanded most aspects of play, attacking well, snuffing out any Grange attacks before they could reach the half way line.
The first goal of the day would come from some good work down the left from Ricky Tandon, who’s shot was parried by the keeper, but fell to Sam Wilmot who coolly put it back between the keepers legs. 1-0.

Our second goal would come from another good move down the left. Murray Cannon would gain a good attacking position, passing a nice one-two with Andrew Mortimer, to get himself into the D. Cannon got his shot away with a high sweep towards the goal. While this move was going on Richard Waugh had been knocked onto his back side, right on the penalty spot. Cannon’s shot then struck a defender in the chest, with the ball dropping right in front of Waugh’s prone body. With the keeper coming flying out to clean things up, he once again had the ball slipped between his legs, to make the score 2-0.

The Half time talk asked for more of the same.

Though the Colts had command of the seconded half, we would not find the net again. Grange had stacked most of their team behind the ball, and with the combination of limited space and some experimental positional changes we just couldn’t convert. The Grange keeper, who made a number of good saves, would squash a number of short corners. Colts Keeper, Sam Gibb, had a quiet game in the pads, only really being called into action, to rush out and sweep up a long ball from the top of the circle, and to quickly cover his post as a rare Grange shot was struck wide.

All in all it was good a good solid first performance from the Colts. On another day we could have won by five or six. Lots of positives to take into the rest of the season and with the enthusiasm shown by all the players, I’m sure the Colts will be well established into the East District Leagues.

A well-deserved Man of the Match goes to Ross Fontana, whose tireless work at center back snuffed out all but two Grange attacks.