Winter’s Coming!

After much inward looking and video analysis, the team are starting to realise that the best form of defence is defence. Batten down the hatches, sure up the defences and be ready for a tough fight. Winter’s coming!

Winter did arrive this weekend at pound lane and the boys were eager to get the last game’s loss to Guernsey out of their system. Full availability for the first time this year meant an exciting team sheet on paper. But scissors beat paper every time, so that basically means sod all. Tulse Hill & Dulwich were the opponents this week, who were riding high in the league, with some great results under their belt.

The match started in typical frantic style with both teams pressing high and throwing men forward at every opportunity. It was the visitors that got the first break though after seven minutes, through a low penalty corner flick that crept inside the Marlow left post. However, straight from the restart a well worked team move ended with Captain Alex Land tapping in a rebounded deflection. This show of character and composure knocked the wind out the visitor’s sails with Marlow then being on the ascendency for the rest of the half. But, unfortunately the home side didn’t capitalise on this dominate spell of play and the score remained level at the break.

The second half started as a cagey affair with both teams having now got the measure of each other. But it was Tulse Hill who slowly started to turn the screw and push Marlow further back into their half. They were rewarded for their patient build up play, with a ball popping up off a Marlow defenders stick and a quick snap shot putting them into the lead.

Marlow defended valiantly for the rest of the half with Ross Bone pulling off some great saves to keep the reds in the game. Then in the last few minutes Coach Kevin Chappell made the last ditch play call to remove the Marlow keeper for a “kicking back”. The gamble paid off as some more composed play saw Marlow effectively use the overload to win a penalty corner in the dying seconds of the game.

Marlow players surrounded the opponents “D”. It was like Leningrad all over again; you can’t defeat the reds on their homeland! Charlie Olley pulled the trigger and the low flick was saved by the keeper. Thankfully the ball fell to Marlow midfielder Steve Harding, who calmly slotted the ball into the side netting back past the keeper on his season’s league debut, after returning to the side after a spell away and then picking up an injury pre-season.

Character and grit are not words normally associated with a Marlow 1s side, but could this weekend’s display be a sign of a new tougher and disciplined mind-set creeping in. Because if so, other teams in the league should start to worry.