COWHC Men's 4s vs Leatherhead Men's 3s - 10 October 201

The team was Ciaran, Max, Rob, Scott, Dan, Mike, John, Carl, Ross, Bob and Adam with Ken politely umpiring for us.

A great win in the first game of the season with a great team performance to go with it.

A new look team helmed by our new Captain Adam started fast and strong, putting Leatherhead on the back foot from the beginning from which they never recovered. We enjoyed near total domination, keeping possession well but the opposition repelled wave after wave of attack. An aggressive press kept them boxed in, keeping the ball in their half, with only a lack precision from Croydon keeping the score at 0-0. The boys knew if the pressure was maintained then the breakthrough would come and just before half time it finally arrived. During what felt like the team's tenth short corner, the ball broke to Jon who rather than going for all out power, which had been our stumbling block up until that point, lifted the ball, confusing the keeper and the ball gratefully trickled over the line.

A cheerful half time speech ensued with the message simply being: don't stop. And the boys did not!

Leatherhead offered virtually nothing up front apart from the odd counterattack which were mainly caused by our over committal up front however a combination of Rob, Max, Dan and Scott were always there to sweep up any loose plays, so much so that Ciaran, our GK, didn't touch the ball all game. We almost felt bad for making him pay subs... ALMOST!

The boys at the back encouraged us to push on with all four taking it in turns to burst through Leatherhead's feeble front and middle lines, rapidly advancing the play. Ross and Carl provided constant outlets out wide, stretching the opposition allowing Jon and Mike to control the middle with little pressure. Mike and Max combined well, covering each other respectfully when one saw space in front of them and used their pace to exploit it. Jon kept the opposition honest with frequent bursts of skill and pace. Upfront, Bob was a constant thorn in Leatherhead's side with his movement, ingenuity and ability to pick any ball. One such example led to our second goal which effectively killed off the game. After good movement from Bob, the ball fell to captain Adam for an easy tap in. A combination of Croydon's aggressive press and Leatherhead's lack of movement caused us to basically be playing against a 10 man defence. With a wall in front of us, Adam dropped well causing gaps to open and his ball control allowed us to exploit the holes he had created.

The third and final goal came and it was fitting it was created by 'Man of the Match' debutant Dan. Having never played before, Dan's relentless runs and enterprising nature were too much to handle for Leatherhead and a 50 yard run caused mayhem in their D causing the boys to turn it into their own net.

Overall a great team performance with a star turn by Dan that gave the 4's a perfect start to their season. On another day, our over committal and lack of finishing potency may have been punished but as the old adage goes... You can only play the team in front of you!

Well done boys.