3-0 Defeat For Fareham But Many Reasons To Be Optimistic

Saturday’s visit to Oxford Hawks was always expected to be a tough encounter against a side that has been close to promotion for the last three seasons. With nine first team players unavailable the task was made harder and we were only able to take a squad of thirteen. Despite this, for most of the game there was nothing between the teams with Fareham playing their best hockey of the season so far and looking the better team for long periods of the match.

Fareham came into the match on the back of an encouraging draw at Bristol Firebrands but it had come at a price with Lydia Jackson dislocating a shoulder which will keep her out of action for a few weeks. Katie Paxman also aggravated an existing injury in that game and she was unavailable this week. Four other players who had performed well at Bristol were also missing – Sarah Atkinson, Izzy Austin, Alice Lander and Aimee Timms (the latter two were required for a schools match). On the plus side, Tegan Lyne and Miranda Caillard (sister of Alicia) both made their league debuts and performed well.

Fareham began promisingly with a strong run from Tegan Lyne setting up a penalty corner in the opening minute. The home side responded with early chances for Lexie Spurr and Helen Karditsas and an important double save from a penalty corner by Fareham keeper Sophia Barclay.

There were chances at both ends but Fareham finished the quarter strongly and could have been rewarded with a penalty stroke as Anya Middleton set up Gracie Coleman in front of goal in the 13th minute. At first glance it looked like Gracie had been fouled by the keeper, Emma Page, but the umpires felt that the initial contact was with the ball. Moments later Tegan Lyne shot just over the bar from the edge of the ‘D’ as the first quarter ended with Fareham in the ascendancy.

The visitors began the 2nd quarter confidently but unfortunately found themselves behind in the 20th minute. An awkward pass into the ‘D’ was missed by a defender and CLAIRE WERLINGER took advantage with a tight turn and shot to open the scoring and punish what turned out to be a rare defensive error.

Fareham responded well and had some half chances around the Hawks area but couldn’t create anything clear cut. Hawks had a couple of chances themselves as Sophia dealt well with a quick break but otherwise the home side offered little threat and their lead remained 1-0 at half-time.

Despite trailing, Fareham had every reason to believe that this was a game they could win. They began the 2nd half well but five minutes after the restart the hosts doubled the lead with MEGAN TAYLOR scoring from a well-worked penalty corner routine.

Despite facing a two goal deficit, Fareham dominated the remainder of the 3rd quarter. They looked solid defensively, won many of the battles in midfield and moved the ball around quickly as they put the home side under heavy pressure. Gracie Coleman regularly caused problems for the home defence and she began a move which almost reduced the deficit. Weaving through the opposition she squared a pass to Alicia Caillard but her shot could not find the target.

Three minutes later Sian Evan’s shot from a penalty corner was kicked away by the keeper and shortly afterwards another shot from Sian passed just wide of the post. The quarter finished after another excellent Fareham opportunity. Gracie shot diagonally from the edge of the ‘D’, presenting a chance for Poppy Roddis but the keeper blocked the opportunity before Poppy could get a shot away.

In hindsight, the 3rd quarter was the key to the game. Everyone agreed afterwards that if we had scored whilst we were well on top then the result could have been different.

The away side continued to play well in the 4th quarter but the difference in squad sizes started to make a difference as the effort took its toll and tiredness began to set in. Hawks started to look more dangerous and scored their final goal from another well executed penalty corner in the 57th minute as CATHERINE REANEY deflected a shot high into the roof of the net.

Once again there was general agreement that a final score of 3-0 did not reflect the closeness of the game. The home side took their chances well with two well executed corners whilst we were unable to convert our opportunities into goals despite creating more chances than the opposition. It was the only disappointing aspect of our game which in every other respect was excellent.

We always look for the positives from any game but on this occasion they were everywhere to see and it really felt like we were competing as equals against very experienced opponents. The work rate was excellent and everyone can be proud of their effort and contribution. If we can play like this with thirteen then there is every reason to believe we can cause big problems for some sides once we have more players available.

At the moment the league table might look worrying if you have not watched all our games but I think anyone who has seen how we have evolved over the four games so far will believe we are getting close now and it won’t be long before we start to accumulate more points. When we get closer to full strength and as the players spend more time training and playing together then there is no reason why we can’t start picking up some wins and climbing the table.

After our tough start, predominantly on the road, we return to Henry Cort next Saturday (13.30) with a match against Clifton Robinsons 2s. The Bristol side have made a good start to the season and will be a tough test for us but we are hopeful of further improvement and a good result.