Inches matter (or cm if you are metrically inclined)

Yesterday we went into our match with Bracknell undefeated in the year and brimming with confidence.  That is to say, we played our first match of the year last week and unexpectedly we won.  Surprisingly, I even scored.  This week we knew we had a tough opposition as they beat us convincingly at the start of the season.  It was a great match, half adults and half older juniors on both sides, and fairly evenly matched.  After a goalless first half, thanks in large part to some excellent keeping from Harry, Bracknell finally scored with 10 minutes to go.  Cue a spirited drive from A&C to equalise.  With 30 seconds to go, we hit the outside of the nearpost.  Bracknell immediately drove up the match and with A&C having committed players up front to equalise, Bracknell broke into our D and with the last hit of the game crashed the ball in off the inside of our far post.  By such small margins are matches won and lost, or in our case drawn and lost.  A really entertaining match though.  Congratulations to Jasper for his first ever adult game, and along with Harry, our joint man-of-the-match. 

As we were the late match, rather than return to our clubhouse we retired to our 'Sunday room' in the pavilion by our pitch.  We find that at 6 o'clock on a Saturday evening, few people want to travel to a clubhouse away from the pitch, as they usually need to get away for parties and dinner, and this also impacts on our ability to hire the clubhouse out on Saturday evenings, which is needed commercially to make the club viable.  Our pavilion is a little run down, but with two teams in there, some beer for the adults, some cheese and pate on baguettes, and some comfy sofas, it was a great atmosphere.  It shows what a difference it makes having a clubhouse by the pitch, and hopefully when we get our new clubhouse by our new pitches, it will give the club a fantastic social environment.

This morning I watched our U14 boys against Aylesbury, which was another good game, although won 5-1 by Aylesbury thanks to a late very skilful and fast addition to Aylesbury's side who scored 4 and set up 1.  Jake scored a blinder reverse into the top right corner to pull us back to 1-2, but Aylesbury's goal machine scored 3 in the last 10 minutes to put the match beyond us.  Excellent play by all our lads though, with the goalie, James, once again the man-of-the-match for a string of super saves.

Afterwards, as one sport is not enough, I went to watch Jamie's football match second half.  Jamie was playing the team at the top, and they showed why with some excellent football, though with Prestwood hanging in.  2-1 down with 10 minutes to go, the opposition broke through and the ball was destined for the bottom corner when Jack got a hand to it to turn it round the post.

The week before, Harry didn't have much to do, and sometimes neither do James or Jack, but this week all were called upon on many occasions, and both stepped up, and it took some excellent goals to beat them.  That can be the way with goalkeeping, whether football or hockey: periods of relative inactivity, followed by frantic activity, and to balance that is not easy, but crucial to all sides, so well done to all goalkeepers everywhere that stand between the posts.