Harlequins Mens Hockey Match Report

Light at the end of the tunnel, or a train coming the other way??

By Alan Mathews

Harlequins (E) 1 - UCC (C) 2

Division 3

2nd December 2001

No Coach Dawson this week - I think he must have been giving Fergie some tips for Saturday's match against Chelsea. However, the training (for the two lads who actually went to receive it) on Tuesday night seems to have paid dividends. Tom O’Brien had a particularly good game in a team that had its best match this season. We did have guest appearances from Simon King who really sorted out the defence, and Finbarr Kelleher, who graciously accepted to play in goal for us since Clive was plumbing in Carrigaline and couldn’t make it. Both players did a lot for us although strangely Finbarr had very little to do all through he match. However, he did demonstrate one feature of most of the goalkeepers I have known that I had forgotten about...He cant ’alf shout! Clive - you don’t have to go to training to run around. Just go to shouting lessons. Pat is good at that as well - he could probably give you a few tips…as well as a few unwarranted observations which you could possibly use to stimulate the players in front of you.

Simon’s confidence on the ball was inspirational and basically, again in the first half we could do no wrong. We did lots of passing and intricate short ball game, which completely put off the College players. They weren’t used to this from us and they were quite shocked, I think. Peter Payne scored our goal and wailed ‘Ah Lads I only brought a fiver with me!’ at half time. The goal was so well struck that it hit the backboard and bounced out to the half way line before anyone stopped it...AWESOME DUDE!!!

We went in at half time one goal up, and in an unusual position. This was the first lead we have had since our first game of the season in Garyduff. We were playing great and looking as if we could score again, and they were not going to score. However, I suppose this was the idealist in me talking. The Half time period was a disaster. Instead of consolidating our position and trying to make some strategic decision about what could be done to keep the lead (such as keeping all of our players in our half, and brick up the goal, etc.), a few debates took place about who should or should not be playing and who should be subbed off etc. and who was taking his ball home, etc...

In the second half UCC came more into the game as we got more tired. They started to dominate the midfield and a lot of our players started to suffer from the rigors of the first half. Suffice it to say the remarks at half time proved unfounded and there was plenty of opportunity for people to get a game as the defenders got more tired.

My game that day was less than auspicious - I fell over the ball on my first opportunity, and never looked up or forward, since I was also the person marking the player who scored their second goal.

However, the incident of the day came after college scored their second goal. They were passing the ball well, and making us run around in circles. Well, everyone but Hammer anyway. He seemed to take out his frustrations of the day by trying to kill, or at least try to decapitate, one of their players from the ankles up. Since he got away with this at first attempt he tried it again, and got sent off - much to his surprise. I guess he was lucky he didn’t get a custodial sentence.Anyway, post-match he had to drink an unpronounceable South African spirit, for his efforts during the game, and I hope he learnt his lesson...I know I have!!!

We are planning on to playing the D vs. E match on the 22^nd of December (late-ish), and we will afterwards try to make a night of it. Bring your drinking trousers…and a Santy hat.