Letchworth V 2 - 0 Hertford VI

Two short corner strikes, one in each half, made all the difference in a closely contested match played in the usual good spirit of our Letchworth games. Against a veteran side, the pace was manageable and there was plenty room to play hockey, though both sides showed a clear preference for route 1. Not great for the purists, but the long ball down the middle found Daryl, Chris or Aodhan time after time, perhaps because our midfield kept its width and drew their opponents out of the way. However, nobody could complain of lack of action as play swung back and forth, both sides looking to play on the break and both defences looking shaky for long periods.

With our usual defensive centres all away (and three other players helping out the 4s) we had to reshape a bit, but our special guest Matt White, well supported by Tony and John, held the back line together and got the ball back upfield quickly. Daryl terrorised their backs with a succession of runs. Chris produced the best moment, rounding three defenders and the keeper but just running out of room to get his shot in. The short passing was occasionally excellent, and Aodhan, Aaron and Adam combined tidily through the left midfield.

The last ten minutes saw our all too familiar ‘kitchen sink’ assault on the Letchworth D, interrupted by 80 yard sprints back to help out in defence, but remarkably no further goals at either end.

Could easily have gone differently with a slice of luck at the right time, but we’re getting used to that…….