Strong dog foxes Sils as "Edge blast one" to share points

M4's final home game of the season proved to be an evenly-matched contest, with Sils drawing their first game in four months but continuing their recent run of good form. Edgbaston fielded a very different, and much stronger XI than the team that Sils defeated convincingly (4-1) back in November, and it was clear from the outset that this was likely to be a very tight game.
That said, it was Sils who showed the most endeavour and promise in the first minutes of the match, quickly taking control in midfield, and putting the opposition defence under early pressure. M4 were unlucky not to take the lead when a scramble in the D resulted in John Harrison forcing the ball into the net just after the whistle was blown for a penalty corner. The resulting move broke down, despite a fine effort from Simon Russell, and the opposition regrouped successfully.
As the game progressed, Edgbaston started to force their way into the match, enjoying better levels of possession and using it to good effect in the final third of the pitch. However, some stout defending from M4's back four - particularly Mike Bettridge and a couple of good clearances from Yogi - ensured that Sils snuffed out a series of penalty and long corners.
M4 always looked the more likely to open the scoring, with Harrison, Creed & Lyons combining well down the right hand side, and Jackman, Dwyer & Aylin regularly posing threats down the left hand side. As a result, Russell, Rush & Willetts were well-serviced and able to create several chances and win a number of penalty corners. It was from one of those set-pieces that Sils took a deserved lead. A stinging shot from Simon Russell was partially blocked by the Edge defence, with the ball falling to Keith Willetts. His feather-light touch sent the ball wide to Dave Higgins, who wrong-footed the keeper as he volleyed the ball into the corner of the goal. Sils kept up the pressure for the remainder of the half, but with Edgbaston using the counter-attack to great effect, it was clear that M4 needed to increase their lead to be certain of victory.
Half-time arrived, and a teamtalk full of the usual passion, expletives and reflection, sent M4 into the second 35 with a single-minded focus regarding the job that lay ahead. No hairdryers this week, no little green animals from "a far and distant galaxy", but rumours were rife that Troy Tempest's commander was watching his first game of hockey from the sidelines, and had surmised that "anything can happen in the next half-hour". How right he was to be.
Sils played as a very effective unit throughout the second half, but with fortune seeming to favour the opposition, the home team were unable to convert chances into goals. Several penalty corners were earned with Rush, Harrison & Russell going close to doubling the Sils' lead. Simon in particular was exceptionally unlucky when he unleashed a great strike that pinged (deafeningly) off the post courtesy of a deflection from the keeper's foot.
Edgbaston pushed on as the half progressed, and regularly pushed down both wings before being closed down by the Sils defence. Frustratingly, their only clear chance of the game brought an equaliser when a break down the left hand side of the pitch resulted in the Edge CF racing into the D to push the ball past the advancing Yogi.
Sils continued to push hard for a winner, with Rush in particular prepared to cover a lot of ground as he searched for that elusive nineteenth of the season. More chances were generated as the clock ticked down, but M4 were unable to profit from these, thanks in no small part to an agile and brave opposition keeper.
There were mixed emotions as the final whistle blew. Yes, the unbeaten run continued; yes, the opposition were much much stronger than that faced back in November; yes, the quality of play in the second half was very fine, and the defensive unit (Mssrs Yogi, Lane, Bates, Jackman, Ffitch and Mike "the Rock" Bettridge) put in a great shift. However, we lost the lead, and that it is something that always hurts.
And so we are set up for our final game of the season, away to Hampton. Get ready to set your alarm clocks for a crazy start time, and be prepared to take Hampton to task without the mighty Rush, who finished the season with an impressive eighteen goals for the club. Well done Andy.
There is only one way to finish a season and that is in style, so let's make sure that this is the case next week (Tony, no problems for you then).