Press Reports Saturday 08th of January
Posted by Nobody on 10 January 2011
With adverse weather conditions in December hampering fixtures and training alike the men and women of East London Hockey Club returned to action at the weekend looking to blow away the cobwebs of an extended Christmas break.
East’s ladies resumed hostilities in the Essex premier division with a home tie against fellow promotion chasers Colchester. East London’s first half performance was as polished as you would expect from a team who only failed to take points from two of their fixtures in the first half of the season. Goals from Eilis Quinlan and Sophie Williams, along with a tight defensive display and excellent work from first time stand in keeper Emma Chadwick, gave ELHC a rock solid looking 2-0 lead at half time. Colchester seemed to find another gear after the break however and quickly reduced the deficit with a well worked goal. Despite again going two behind after a short corner finish from East London’s Zoe Marsden the Colchester comeback was sealed with two goals in the closing minutes making the final result 3-3.
ELHC’s men began the new year with a must win game against Saffron Walden who sat just one point beneath them in East Division 2 when they met at Mile End on Saturday. In a cagey game that was characterised by a lack of sharpness in front of goal from both sides, it was a finish that was both bizarre and fortuitous in equal measures that proved the deciding factor. With 15 minutes to go in the first half, and after a decent period of build up play by the Sparrowhawks, the ball fell to winger Chris Jones at the top of the Saffron Walden D. The shot that followed was unquestionably not his best, miscueing towards the right corner flag, only for it to take a huge deflection off the foot of the closing defender and loop past the wrong footed keeper into the far left hand corner of the net for the only goal of the game.
The second half was a scrappy affair but East London will take heart from their defensive display, solid performances from centre backs Simon Hughes and Steve Peck shutting out Saffron Walden and ensuring the narrow victory.
