Old Silhillians 1st XI 1 - 0 Bromsgrove 1st XI

Old Silhillians 1st XI 1 (1) - (0) 0 Bromsgrove 1st XI

Goalscorer: Noreen Afshan

Sils braved Storm Dennis, and the runaway league leaders, looking to keep their survival fight on track. Having only lost one of their last nine matches, confidence was high, and it looked as if the side may finally (12 league games in) be able to boast a full strength 1st XI with 4 subs! However, this was not to be, and the team took to the field with Ruth Dovey playing as stand-in Captain, due to Frankie Levey not being able to make it.

The wind and rain were always going to make this a grueling affair, and Sils decided to take the brunt of the weather in the first half, hoping that as they tired in the second half, the wind would be behind them and make it easier to keep running. This meant that for much of the first half the side were on the back foot, with the physically strong visiting side using good close skills, and strong ball striking power to regularly attack down their right hand side, with the wind making it difficult to play away from that corner. However, the defence, and the support provided by the midfield was superb. The attacking press was working (who knew that stuff you work on in training can actually pay dividends), and time and again, the home defence were able to pick off the ball and try and mount counter attacks at pace. The more direct style from the visitors did not go without causing problems for Sils though, and tight decisions that perhaps went against the Copt Heath side in the first half of the season, have started balancing themselves out in the second half. One such moment when the Bromsgrove centre-forward broke through, and with Ali Williams coming off her line, the players collided, and as the forward turned, her stick came out of her hand - with no clear or obvious foul, the Sils defence were able to breath again, but a decision could have very easily been given against them.

However, as Bromsgrove's frustrations grew, Sils' neat inter-change of passes started making inroads as they went forwards, and they were able to win a number of Penalty Corners. The first one, Dovey's shot flew into the net, but too high, the second was charged down, but the third led to a save from the keeper, which Sophie Boyle was able to latch onto and force the ball towards goal. As time seemed to stop, Noreen Afshan was on hand to force the ball from close range. Perhaps slightly against the run of play, but not undeserved based on the work rate of the young Sils team. Half-time allowed the team to re-group and confirm the plan for the second half, and with the wind now behind them, the Sils seemed to be full of running.

The first five minutes of the second half saw Priya Majevadia combining well with Caro Kappes on a number of occasions and getting in beyond the visitor's defence, but the final ball never quite found the right player. Down the left side, Imogen Pemble, Lauren Hobday and Libby Shepherd all showed great positional sense, worked hard between them, and made sensible attacking decisions to ensure they kept the visiting right back under control (who had been the main threat in the first half).

Bromsgrove started playing more through the middle, and won several Penalty Corners, but each one was well defended, or the ball whistled wide of its target, Jess Cox in particular impressing as her strong running blocked efforts time and again.

Whilst Bromsgrove were creating chances, Sils were still playing the "prettier" hockey, with Anya Hemming working well down the right, and Lara Berardo in short bursts (still plagued by injury) displaying nice skills and creating half-chances, but nothing too concrete. The Sils, with the wind behind them, were able to play higher up the pitch, and particularly down their right, meaning Emily Hilton at left-half was not called upon too much, but this was not the case for Claire Wright at full-back who made several timely interventions and helped to organise the middle of the pitch as Sils clung tightly to their lead.

The last few minutes dragged, but eventually the full-time whistle was blown, and Sils had earned what could be a critical 3 points in their continuing fight for survival. Player of the Match votes were shared across 6 players - a reflection of the strength of the team performance - but in the end, the critical moments were those defending our goal, and so Ali Williams' saves at crucial times helped her pip Jess Cox to the vote.

Another big game next weekend, away against Harborne - if we can get 3 points, we could move level with at least one of the sides above us, who before Christmas seemed a long way away!