Following the harsh 2-1 defeat to top of the league the previous week Yateley looked to get back on track and back to winning ways with a challenging away game to Gillingham (in Dorset not Kent!). Things didn’t go to plan from the outset as last minute injuries/illnesses meant that 1st XI would have to go with just the 12 players. Upon arrival to the pitch it was clear a different style of play would be required due to the slowness of the pitch, so during the warm up the skipper (Darren Collins AKA The Dazzler) huddled the team together with a couple of specific points that would be required in our game plan if we were to take the spoils back to Yateley.

The first half was generally a very scrappy affair between both teams as neither side created many clear cut chances. Yateley enjoyed quite a lot of possession and were rewarded with a couple of short corners which saw some smart saves from both the keeper and the defenders on the line. However late into the half Gillingham broke away down the left wing and managed to bobble the ball into the D which then saw a smart finish from the Gillingham striker as he buried the ball into the bottom corner, 1-0 to Gillingham and half time.

The half time team talk from the skipper was about playing our style of hockey which is to play with pace, press hard and force the opposition into playing the ball down the lines. Refreshed and refocused Yateley played to a higher tempo than that of the first half and started to put pressure on the opposition who were receiving cards for bad behaviour and bad tackling. With the extra man Yateley penetrated the opposition D on more occasions which eventually saw the umpire award another short corner. The team huddled together and the skipper called for “Irene” which has been the teams most successful set piece all season and so it was today. The injection from James Sealey found Darren Collins at the top of the D who tapped the ball in for David Woods as he swept the ball into the path of Dan Jones (penalty spot) who calmly deflected the ball high into the net to the goalkeeper’s right, 1-1!

The game continued to be a scrappy affair but Yateley were the more dangerous of the teams and another break away attack down the left wing saw a long ball miss everyone with the exception of Chris (The Piglet) Hogg who calmly nutmeg the keeper with a onetime deflection, 2-1 to Yateley!

With 10 minutes to go the 15 man strong Gillingham side started to see more of the ball as Yateley were feeling the fatigue of the match. A small defensive error in the Yateley defensive D saw the opposition take advantage of a loose ball as they smartly placed the ball into the net leaving Darren Cresswell in goal with no chance of making a save.

The match finished 2-2 which on paper may seem like a fair result but Yateley knew that this was a match for the taking. Following on from the match, half of the team enjoyed a fun night and weekend away in Bournemouth which was very entertaining!

Next week Yateley have their last home game of the season against 2nd in the league Southampton. Come down and cheer on the team who play at 1.30pm.