Sizzling Sils too hot for Sutton

Sutton were first out of the blocks starting at a fast pace pinning Sils back in their own half with few opportunities to keep the ball away from the defence for any length of time. But gradually they started taking some control over the game and by simply stopping the attacks and bringing their pacey forwards into the game the emphasis was pushed the other way with Sutton pegged back having to defend in depth. Short corners were traded with little impact on the goal and as the frenetic match progressed into the middle of the half the game suddenly exploded as Frankie latched onto a loose ball just inside the D and dispatched it with her usual aplomb, a minute later whilst most were still applauding the goal Sutton lost the ball from the re-start Sils were on the attack once more and as shots reigned in to the Sutton D Libby Edwards was the fastest to react as pressure was applied to their keeper and as the ball was mis-controlled she swept it home to add to the tally. 2 goals in two minutes but just as Sutton were trying to come to terms with what had just happened no one picked up Ruth who had won the ball advanced into the D pretty much unopposed and simply hammered a third into the corner. Three in three Sils were in ecstasy but no chance to relax as Sutton by now had gathered themselves for an all out assault on the Sils defence with nothing to lose. Within 10 minutes they had breached the defence but Jo came flying out for a text book smother with the result of being pinned to the floor by the shocked upended striker and as the ball squirted out of the melee Jess was on hand to help it on its way up the wing for another attack to be launched. End to end stuff keeping the crowd entertained.
By now the midfield was developing into a hotly contested area but Ruth was again masterful in her abilty to win tackles that were thought to be impossible and numerous threats were thwarted before having chance to impact on the defence and throughout she was ably assisted by her compatriot Georgina who has learnt well from her mentor and is equally as devastating in the tackle. As tackles were won often one of the two were seen extracating themselves out of impossible situations with the ball being retrieved and played out to the waiting wide players as attack after attack was launched against the Sutton back line.

Jo was called upon to make clearance after clearance with ably supported by Kate and Jess who were having to work harder than wished to stem the attacks often brought about by a lack of marking higher up the pitch but any mistakes were covered well. The half continued at a fast pace with no let up from either side into halftime.

With a lead at half time there was time to provide some of the more attack minded players a taste of defensive duty with both Georgina and Lauren finding, to their delight, themselves in the back line adjusting to the alien art of defence. With Jess asking for more intensity up front the forwards were now hunting in packs, pressing high and giving the Sutton defence a torid time forcing mistakes and were unlucky not to increase the score further. Sutton were still dangerous on the break and the defence had to be vigilant but a second clean sheet of the season is always good to have.

Width was key and by attacking the flanks the Sutton defence was stretched and again Ruth was allowed to advance into the D unopposed and dispatched another shot into the back board to take it to 4:0 and out of Sutton’s reach.

As the game started to reach the last few minutes the Sils forwards were still being rotated and providing Sutton with a hard time chasing shadows Georgina once more up front interchanged some quick combinations with Fleur which allowed her to squeeze through the defensive ranks and unluckily her shot crashed of the post which would have been the culmination on the days game.
A credit to all the players as this side has at last gelled with a good all round performance from everyone and they are now starting to understand the expectations being placed upon them, fully supported by the new players coming into the squad and credit must go to young Lucy Connor who had an accomplished debut in spite of picking up an injury in the second half .

MoM: Joanne Brett for an array of awesome saves, strong kicking and keeping her defensive unit on their toes as the constant attacks were kept at bay.

DoD: An overheard comment from an umpire prompted this award to Amy Stainton for being warned “not to use her bum as a defensive barrier!” a bit disrespectful but hey this is hockey