NRHC Men’s 1s vs Gloucester City Men’s 2s

Another sunny, but decidedly chilly, day at JKHS saw Newent & Ross Hockey Club Men’s 1s welcome Gloucester City Men’s 2s for another instalment of hockey, questionable finishing, and the usual amount of nonsense.

NRHC started brightly and didn’t take long to get the scoreboard ticking over. A superb pick-up from Spils sparked a driving run from the back line, before the ball was squared to Cross in front of goal. His first effort was saved, but showing persistence, Cross followed up and flicked the ball past the keeper at the second attempt.

1–0 NRHC.

Just four minutes later, NRHC won their first penalty flick of the afternoon after another Cross effort was stopped on the line by a rather blatant foot. Unfortunately, NRHC’s regular flick taker was somewhere other than the pitch at the time, leaving Spils to step up and take responsibility.

With the pressure on and the eyes of JKHS watching, Spils calmly converted from the spot.

2–0 NRHC.

Half-time arrived with NRHC firmly in control, and Gloucester facing an uphill battle to get themselves back into the contest.

The second half continued in much the same fashion, with NRHC awarded their third goal of the afternoon from another penalty flick after a Gloucester foot allegedly prevented the ball from crossing the line. Whether it was a stonewall decision or a generous interpretation of the rules remains a matter for the courts, but the umpire had spoken.

This time, NRHC’s regular flick taker was actually on the pitch. A battle for penalty-flick supremacy looked inevitable. Would there be a duel? A showdown? A dramatic game of rock, paper, scissors?

No. Apparently, the rule is simple: you take them until you miss.

Spils stepped up once again and dispatched the flick with confidence, securing his second of the afternoon and NRHC’s third.

3–0 NRHC.

Gloucester did manage to get themselves on the scoresheet shortly afterwards, thanks to a finish of quite extraordinary quality. Unfortunately, it came at the wrong end of the pitch.

T. Fuller, clearly keen to get his own-goal tally up and running for the season, produced a sumptuous finish into the top bins. The sort of deflection that would have the crowd on its feet if only it had been at the right end.

An absolute beauty. Just wearing the wrong shirt for it to count.

3–1 NRHC.

Thankfully, NRHC weren’t about to let one moment of defensive generosity derail their afternoon. They soon returned to business, with some lovely one-two interplay between Franklin and Cross causing Gloucester further problems.

Franklin picked up the ball, beat his man and unleashed a shot towards goal. Once again...what happened next depends entirely on who you ask.

Some say it was going wide. Some say it was heading straight in. Others insist it was a perfectly weighted pass.
And then there are those who simply say Cross is a little thieving rat. (Not my words...)

Cross, showing the sort of opportunism that would make a fox blush, kindly provided the decisive deflection to guide the ball over the line and claim the goal for himself.

4–1 NRHC.

Whether it was a shot, a pass or an elaborate assist, the only thing that mattered was that the ball was in the net. Franklin may have done most of hard work, but Cross was certainly not going to let the opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet over Franklins' pass him by.

NRHC continued to put together some excellent passages of play, combining strong work from the back with sharp attacking movement and clinical finishing. Gloucester had their moments, but the home side had done enough to put themselves firmly in the driving seat.

All in all, another strong performance from NRHC Men’s 1s at JKHS, with goals, penalty-flick drama and a top-bin own goal to keep the spectators entertained.

Spils will no doubt be claiming penalty-flick royalty status, Cross will be claiming goals that may or may not have been intended, and T. Fuller can take comfort in knowing that at least his own goal was a good one.

Final score: NRHC Men’s 1s 4–1 Gloucester City Men’s 2s

On to the next one!

Goals: Cross x2, Spils x2
Assists: Spils, Cross x2, Franklin