2-3: M7s vs Helensburgh 3s (WD3) - 05/03/22
When you've reached the dizzy heights of the seventh team it is fair to say that your focus when it comes to hockey is enjoying yourself; having a laugh; blowing off the cobwebs.
So... what better way to start your Saturday afternoon's fun and games by getting caught up in football traffic, then road works, then an oil spill and a diversion. With several cars arriving bang on start time, pleasantries like a warm-up and tactics were dispensed with and John told us where we playing, who we were being substituted for and threw us mercilessly to the hockey wolves of Helensburgh 'Third' team and it's fair to say things didn't get off to a good start with Hillhead conceding a quick short corner which resulted in a goal after one of our defenders was, arguably, obstructed.
To borrow a cliché this really was a game of two halves and the first, from a Hillhead perspective, was not enjoyable at all. We didn't seem organised, couldn't get out of our own half much, struggled to pass to each other affectively under pressure from a younger, fitter team and conceded another two goals.
Come the second half things picked up massively for us. Thanks as ever to John for organising the sevenths and at half time a few bodies were moved around. Helensburgh substituted a few players too, and in the second half things seemed more balanced between the two sides. With the calm guidance and reassuring experience of Alisdair Baxter helping our defence to find its feet our midfield was able to start showing what it could do. An amazing move linking Ed and George resulted in a near miss and heralded a period of Hillhead pressure which finally result in Lew Reid scoring for us.
Five minutes later George added to the Hillhead tally and, considering how the game had started, the score was only 3-2. During the second half Helensburgh Thirds rotated their playmakers on and off the bench and they really did seem like two different teams if certain player were on or off the pitch. However to our credit they never looked like scoring again but unfortunately neither did we and the game ended a credible 3-2.
Special mention to man of the match Richard for a sterling midfield performance.
Words: Graham Conkie