U11 Boys v Ardvreck

The first match of the season is always interesting as it is the first real opportunity to see what kind of a team we are likely to have. Today’s match against Ardvreck was played on an ‘3G’ surface which essentially means astro that hasn’t been mown for a long time – it was a bit like playing on a soggy grass pitch and so resulted in a very scrappy game of hockey

 Right from our hit-off it became apparent that this was going to be ugly hockey. With the going being so heavy, it was more a matter of strength than skill. Ardvreck adapted quickest and were soon in our half. Once there, we found it tough to move the ball out and boys who tried to dribble the ball forward were soon dispossessed. Eventually the inevitable happened and Ardvreck scrabbled a goal when they managed to get the ball to the two men who had been left unmarked by our inexperienced defenders. I don’t blame the defenders as both are new to the positions but it should serve as a valuable lesson.

Play improved in the second half as the teams grew accustomed to the field and adapted their style of play. Basically this meant hitting the ball forward as hard as they could and then trying to chase it down.  For a while Belhaven was better at this than Ardvreck and a period of good play, started by Jamie W. led to the ball going out wide, then back in again and finally into the goal off George’s stick.

Unfortunately Ardvreck managed to score another goal towards the end of the match and the game ended with us 2 – 1 down. It is very disappointing to lose the first match of the season but there were a lot of positives to take from the match. Jamie F. was excellent and didn’t stop running for the entire match and held the team together from the midfield area. Christian made a lot of saves and the score sheet would have looked a lot worse had he not been there to keep the ball out. George scored a good goal. Jamie W. grew in confidence as the match progressed and although his positional play was a bit ropey, he played his heart out. Alexander, new to hockey, showed promise as a defender and all the other boys made worthwhile contributions too.

So, a scrappy match and a disappointing result but the boys appeared to enjoy themselves and didn’t stop trying. If they can keep that up, it should be a good season.

Belhaven Hill     1    -    2    Ardvreck

M.O.T.M.  Jamie W.