Men's 1st XI
Matches
Sat 30 Sep 2017  ·  Surrey Division 1
Cheam Hockey Club
Men's 1st XI
1
6
Surrey Spartans 1
Cheam M1s 1 - 6 Surrey Spartans 1

Cheam M1s 1 - 6 Surrey Spartans 1

Omar Shibli4 Oct 2017 - 07:13
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https://www.cheamhockeyclub.co

Hard work in difficult circumstances

This weekend was a tricky fixture against a strong Spartans side, playing their first league match of the season. Cheam are a side in transition, fielding a much changed 1s squad this year and promoting younger players into the team. While this will no doubt bring benefits in the medium term, the short term is a steep learning curve for many new players and results may not necessarily flow in the first part of the season!

Luck seemed to be against Cheam from the start, with a pull-out in the morning leaving the side with 13. That should have been ok, but a series of freak events - Matt Mabin going to A&E after a stick to the head and James Mantle coming off with a strained hamstring - left us with 11 players for the majority of the match. That 11 included 3 players who were only just returning from long-term injury and managing themselves through the game. In the circumstances, the scoreline does not reflect the valiant effort the team put in.

The first half was where the game was lost, with Cheam - bluntly - playing poorly and letting ourselves down with basics. Spartans were strong and clinical, capitalising on every chance they were given. At half-time, we reorganised and came back out a much stronger side. However, already 4-0 down and with a bare 11, compared to a full opposition bench, the game was already gone.

Despite the result, there were some very positive signs. Players enjoyed the greater freedom to play that they are being afforded this season and there was some excellent attacking interplay, capped off with a quality goal. We are making lots of chances, which is promising, we just need to convert a few more! The young guns also made big strides forward this game with their leading play and it is encouraging to see that, only 2 games in, they are improving every time they take the pitch. Whatever the outcome this season, this is a team where the main focus is to improve and develop each player game by game - and we are certainly on track for that.

Match details

Match date

Sat 30 Sep 2017

Kickoff

11:00

Competition

Surrey Division 1

League position

8
Surrey Spartans 1
13
Cheam 1
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Physio Partner - Manor Drive Physiotherapy
Shirt Sponsor - TMGEE
Shirt Sponsor - AZLAN ADVISORY