Hertford 5s 0-5 Southgate 5A’s

After some last minute Friday night team adjustments (thank you to Simon for stepping up), we lined up against a very strong Southgate side with several players in less familiar positions. As Tony eloquently put at half time, based on the first 35 minutes it was like we’d all been on the beers on Friday night. We didn’t mark tightly enough, got caught ball chasing, and were far too slow to close down a slick, well drilled and skilful opposition who wouldn’t have looked out of place 2 divisions higher. They opened us up time and time again with pace, skill and effective movement. Thankfully their short corner routine was nowhere near the standard of the rest of their game, otherwise the score line may have been even less flattering.
That being said, the second half was a different game. We switched the formation up to a more simple shape, and changed up a gear. Everybody worked hard defensively, chasing back and tackling hard, with Tony making several last ditch goal line clearances, and the midfield battling hard in all areas of the park. Our forward line continued to harry their defence and we did create some chances, Louis Joe getting some shots away but to no avail.
Although a tough pill to swallow, there are plenty of positives to take away from this week, and we shouldn’t be too disheartened. Southgate are one of the best teams we’ve faced so far this season and we brought the fight to them in the second half. Let’s keep working hard for each other, work on our movement off the ball, do the basics well, and we will start to pick up more results.
MoM for me goes to Will this week, who didn’t stop running and defended effectively throughout.
Thanks to Geoff for a strong performance in goal as usual, and to Simon for his first appearance for the 5s.
Let’s keep our heads up and keep improving as a team. On to next week!

Josh