Knife-edge finish against Edge sees Sils edge up the table.

For the second week in a row Sils began the game with just eleven as yet another player failed to make the start time. Apparently Craig’s cuckoo popped out at the wrong time causing him to miss the first ten minutes of the game. He also lost his stick and stick bag but remarkably this didn’t seem to affect his game, on the contrary he was the absolute master of the silent tackle. Nevertheless some sage advice from a wise old owl: offer the bird a tempting treat and bag a stick for next week. As the saying goes: a Ffitch in time…!

Despite the pouring rain we played in front of three times the usual number of supporters. It was good to see Pat, Mike and Lisa drying their eyes under the shelter. Not quite so sure about Mike’s sou'wester and waders, he needs to have a word with Murray.

With Sils lying third and Edgbaston fourth and with both teams on the same points this was obviously going to be a tough game. With such a lot at stake it was pretty certain that both teams would be going all out for a win.

Sils started well and looked the stronger of the two teams. As per last week we applied plenty of pressure down our right flank with John Harrison looking dangerous. Early into the game Keith Willetts turned a cross from Harrison just wide of the right hand post. Shortly after that Simon Russell executed a great reverse stick shot on goal but unfortunately Willetts couldn’t get out of the way in time and it hit the back of his leg. Sils continued to press and Willetts latched onto a loose ball in the D and tried to flick it between the keeper’s legs from close range. Somehow the keeper managed to trap the ball between his pads and scramble it clear.

Sils kept up the pressure with more shots on target from Rush and Russell but they were confidently saved and cleared by the goal keeper. One shot from Andy Rush was deflected away from goal by a defender’s foot. Surely this was a penalty flick but the umpire was unsighted and given the conditions at the time this wasn’t that surprising.

Despite all this pressure it was Edgbaston who scored first at around midway through the first half. It was a rather soft goal but a sharp reminder that we were up against a very good side. Instead of being ahead as we should have been we now had to find a way to get back into the game.

During one of the heavy downpours the umpire was completely unsighted when the ball went over the back line. Being unsure of the decision he looked to the players for help and Sils sportingly owned up to it being a long corner. Edgbaston appreciated this gesture.

This was turning out to be a hard fought contest between two fairly even sides. On the stroke of half time Sils were awarded a penalty corner. It was a well worked routine. From Andy’s fast injection Simon took the ball into the D and stepped right to draw the defender before slipping it left to John Harrison. John slid the ball across the keeper towards the far post only to see it go agonisingly wide. At the half time whistle we were still trailing by a goal to nil.

The second half started as the first had ended with both sides playing well and at a high tempo. This was developing into a close contest but Sils were still the better side albeit by a small margin. In an eye-catching moment Mick Lane ran across the back and smashed a loose ball right across our goal mouth and out to safety on the other side. Quick thinking and great improvisation saved the day. The advancing forward didn’t expect such a risky move and quite frankly, neither did the rest of us. Mick’s well-oiled stiff legged gait belied his moderate pace and looked somewhat reminiscent of Spotty Dog from the wooden tops - only minus the strings. (Probably meaningless for anyone born after the nineteen forties).

The weather conditions improved a little as the second half progressed and this came as a welcome relief to the players, umpires and spectators alike.

Then a moment of minor misunderstanding occurred in midfield. Shaun took a calculated risk to tackle an opponent before retreating the required five metres. The rationale was to prevent them from attacking quickly before we could regroup. Having spotted this Richard flashed his little green triangle for all to see. Shaun smiled at Richard’s little green triangle but being unaware of the new regulations he failed to leave the pitch. After a confusing exchange of words Shaun eventually complied and left for the mandatory 2 minute suspension. With Sils down to ten men the midfield immediately reorganised with Simon dropping back to fill Shaun’s place and Andy dropping back into Simon’s place. Thus we kept our shape and easily weathered the two minute period. In fact we spent most of the two minutes attacking in their half.

Shaun re-entered the fray somewhat fired up and began to press high no doubt realising that time was short and we desperately needed a goal. He picked up a pass just inside the 23 and forced his way into the D through a wall of defenders and then smashed the ball into the net. The goalkeeper stood no chance. This was such an important goal but the look in his eyes was enough to make me cancel my Senna Pod prescription.

By now the game was on a knife-edge but despite this Edgbaston reciprocated Sils sporting stance from earlier in the game. They owned up to two short corners and a long corner. Under the circumstances this was a very sporting gesture and reflected the manner in which the game was played, hard but fair.

Despite growing tension and anxiety in the final minutes the game ended all square with one goal each.

Our strength lay in a very solid and skilful central spine of Yogi, Steve, Shaun, Simon and Andy. Yogi pulled off some really good saves that kept us in the game. Steve’s long reach and low tackles proved very effective at breaking down their attacks and regaining possession. Shaun’s tackling and distribution provided the basis for our build up play. He was also picking the ball up really well. Simon’s driving energy and skilful play set up much of our attacking play while Andy’s dribbling into the D proved to be a real handful for their defence. John, Matt and Dave really worked hard at tracking back when defending and then providing options and width when we were attacking. John was very strong coming forward down the right, Matt worked his magic in tight situations and Dave provided some great linking passes which led to good flowing hockey. Great stuff. At the back Mick, Craig and Sam defended really well with composure and maturity. Together with Steve they formed a very effective defensive unit. You wouldn’t think for one minute that Sam was only fifteen.

Edgbaston were a good side with a fast midfield and forward line but their real strength lay in the two full backs and the goalkeeper. The sustained high quality of play from these three players kept them in the game. The two backs not only played well as individuals but they also had a great understanding with each other. They channelled and tackled Andy in tandem. Normally this would leave gaps for the rest of us to exploit but their midfield were also very quick to flood the D making clear cut chances hard to come by. In fact if it wasn’t for them I am sure we would have won the game.

This is the sort of game that we would have lost at the beginning of last season despite playing well. This time we fought back to salvage a draw and had we scored earlier in the game we would probably have gained a victory. I’m sure both sides were relieved not to have lost but we were perhaps a little more disappointed not to have won especially as we had most of the attacking play. However it is important to emphasise that this was a really good team performance, long may it continue.

Man of the match: Matt Lyons.

Umpires
Paddy and Richard umpired very well in particularly difficult conditions. They maintained good control and kept the game flowing from start to finish. I know from experience how hard it is to follow the ball at the best of times but with the rain beating down and the floodlights reflecting off the surface of the wet pitch it becomes a really difficult task. Even changing the ball from orange to white produced only a marginal improvement. Thank you from the Mighty 4s and well done guys – much appreciated.

Post Script
It’s about time someone developed fluorescent balls so we can see what we are doing in the dark.

And finally…
It was good to see that Murray was able to join us in the bar for a pint or two after the game. His wit and repartee were much appreciated as was his new Christmas jumper. It takes a good Judge to pullover such sartorial finesse.