Ladies 1st XI
Matches
Sat 30 Mar 2019
Wotton under Edge Hockey Club
Ladies 1st XI
2
2
Clifton Robinsons 4ths
The Final Match

The Final Match

Myra Patterson9 Apr 2019 - 19:07
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The Final Match

An eerie spring mist shrouded the New Road pitch at the start of this delicate game against
the prestige Bristol side. The background to this match is important. Wotton stand at the
top of the league having come from behind last week to beat closest rivals Bristol University
third team. Bristol have a game to play and to be certain of staying clear Wotton needed to
draw or win this game. And a bit more background: in the away match earlier in the season
Wotton fell to this team having completely dominated the game, but succumbing to a goal
on the only breakaway that Clifton Robinsons could muster. There was a sense of
foreboding.
As you can imagine the spectators’ area was crammed full of Wotton supporters and tense
but excited atmosphere competed with the fog for impact on the game.
Wotton were on top immediately and in the first fifteen minutes Wotton peppered the
visitors goal with shot after shot but the defence stood firm. A spectacular reverse-stick shot
from Millie Mayer was expertly saved at waist height by a Clifton defender and at a short
corner moments later Wotton were unlucky to hit the post. But the persistent punishing
pressure prevailed perfectly when a defensive error was pounced upon by Sara Erasmus.
She snaffled the ball, sidestepped the ‘keeper and after a scambling scuffle she slotted the
ball into the net with salutary aplomb.
The pressure continued, but with atavistic repetition of the events earlier in the season
Clifton Robinsons broke free, confused the Wotton defence and levelled the scores. The
relief in the spectators turned to anxiety and the match continued. Wotton let two short
corners go begging for a conversion and at half time the scores were level and the
spectators restless.
Clifton Robinsons came out strongly at the start of the second half, but Wotton regained
their composure drawing a sequence of 4 short corners in the next 10 minutes, but to no
avail. Shot after shot was saved and Wotton looked to be denied from taking the lead again.
The mist lifted, but the foreboding remained and fulfilling apprehension the visitor broke
away again, won their only short corner of the match and an illegal stop on the goal line was
punished with a penalty flick, which Clifton Robinsons duly converted. 1-2 -- the spectators
were dumfounded for moments and then stepped up their support, and their team
responded with gritty determination and vigour.
A short corner was won and again the home side hit the post instead of the goal; another
short corner resulted in the ball looping into the goal, but there had been an attacker
infringement after a defensive foul so the goal could not stand but a further short corner
was awarded. And this resulted in an illegal stop on the line that was rewarded with a
penalty flick. The crowd held their breath, but a brilliant save denied Mayer and the crowd
gasped their disappointment as their hopeful expectations were crushed.

And then as the clock was ticking down a shot by Lauren Leyland looped into the net and
levelled the scores. The draw needed was now back in the realms of expectation… And so
the score remained as the final whistle blew.
So this puts Wotton firmly at the top of the league and gives them an expectation of even
more exciting games next season in the higher league.

Match details

Match date

Sat 30 Mar 2019

Kickoff

10:00
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Match Ball Sponsor - Yate Supplies