Cheam 1s rocked up to the Woking ground on the back of a decent, if slightly disappointing, start to the league campaign - a 2-2- draw last week that would have felt like a decent start in a new division, if we hadn't been 2-0 up at half-time. This weekend we had closer to our full side, and the players rocked up determined to register our first 3 points of the campaign and get ourselves truly up and running.

Even resident hooligan David Hand decided to show his face for a game, so we knew it was likely to be an interesting day. Thanks to the Cheam supporters who turned out to cheers us on and crucially take the photos you now see attached to this report!

Woking 2s were a decent side and took the initiative early on in the game, with strong play putting Cheam on the defensive and forcing good defensive work and, of course, saves from Andrew Oldale. A number of short corners were won by the opposition, and a number were save by the padded wonder.

Cheam started slow but came back strongly, eventually dominating play in the first half. Possession and chances increased, and our pace caused Woking all manner of concern. We also won our share of shorties, and took one early on to ease the presssure, with a Seb Jennings drag flick deflecting up into the net off a defenders' stick. He'll claim it was going in anyway, no doubt...

After this, poor discipline looked to cost us, with a series of fouls building up. Koen Overeynder managed to talk himself into a green card (he has the gift of the gab, clearly...) and Duncan Edwards saw a green card for a pretty innocuous stick tackle somehow upgraded to a yellow, for shaking his head in disbelief as he made his way to the sin bin. As you can see from our card count (which also included another green for David Hand, returning to form with a WWE style body check, and a William Gunn straight yellow, slightly unfortunate but the victim of a mounting number of poorly timed tackles), inevitably Cheam's flow was somewhat disrupted and what could have been a chance to stretch our lead became an excercise in defensive discipline with severely depleted numbers. At one point, Cheam were defending resolutely with 9 men, keeping Woking at bay. We held out and it proved to be decisive. Following that spell, great team play meant William Lindsay was on hand to increase Cheam's lead - 2-0 - and put daylight between us and Woking.

After the break, Cheam put out a solid display, and possibly should have stretched our lead. Woking also had chances though and Andrew Oldale was once again on hand to bat away any danger. Further cards and perhaps increasing nerves, as we recalled last weekend's dropping of 2 points from the same position, also possibly played a part.

As it was, a good team effort meant we held out until just before the end. Woking won a short corner and drag flicked it to the left of the goal. It beat Andrew Oldale for the first time and found yours truly on the post. Having invested in both a box and a face mask in the preseason, where did this zinger hit me? Right on the nipple. Yowchie. Woking were awarded a flick and Andrew Oldale watched his clean sheet evaporate into thin air. But this was all in the last minute of the game and Cheam held out, to take 3 points and get our season truly up and running.

DOTD - despite the raft of cards, the David Hand body check and a huge number of other contenders, this travesty of a decision saw the report writer controverially awarded DOTD for sending his supposed #cheammates a simple motivational photograph of himself in a hot tub with a bunch of ladies taken about an hour before the meet time. Unbelievable, you try to inspire your fellow hockey players and this is the thanks you get...

MOTM UPDATE - In a double blow to this writer, I am reliably informed that the award for best player went to Andrew Oldale, for the fine saves mentioned above. A fine performance, no doubt. But one might have expected some recognition of the player that sacrificed a nip to preserve his teams's lead, rather than the player who meekly failed to save the ensuing penalty flick. Some people...