| Match Report |
Following their sealing of the title in their previous game, and the weather intervening in the previous week, Telford 2s welcomed Worcester 2nds to St George’s with a pre-match downpour and hailstorm giving way to a bright early evening fixture. Telford were without Jon Cook and Luca Basini, the latter stepping up to the first team following a string of impressive performances, as well as Adam Phizacklea missing out with an unfortunate injury picked up in the last game, but did welcome back Owen Shave. The message before the game was to put the success of the season to one side and to go out and perform as Telford knew they could against a team that posed a real challenge away from home in the first half of the season. Telford came out of the traps flying, Owen Shave missing an early chance close to goal before grabbing his first of the day 5 minutes in. Matt Hadley-Moore bamboozling the Worcester defence before passing the ball to the back post for a simple finish for Shave. Shortly after it was 2-0, Lewis Moore coming in from the right wing, setting up Hadley-Moore who hit an unstoppable reverse stick shot past the keeper into the top corner. Hadley-Moore was enjoying himself, within 5 minutes of the second goal, setting up the third for a simple finish for Sean Huffer. It was then Huffer’s turn to set up a goal, outrageously deflecting the ball to Shave to finish smartly for his second goal of the day to make it 4-0. Jordan Keeble, playing in an usual position for him, was performing excellently as well in the middle of the park, sniffing out danger as well as the Telford backline. As the half grew on Telford did however drop their standards, looking for the overly ambitious ball and forgetting what had brought them success earlier in the half. The message over the half time Haribo was to get back to simple hockey and further goals would come. Unfortunately, shortly after the restart it was Worcester who found the next goal. Tom Bullock playing the ball against a Worcester foot on the right wing was missed before a quick counter led to a scrappy finish past Nathan Capes, who prior to this had made several impeccable saves. Telford used this as a wake up call, and Hadley-Moore made it a hat trick of assists when setting up Shave’s hattrick of goals with another poacher’s finish that is becoming the forward’s trademark. Worcester started to see a couple of cards as their frustrations grew and tackling got more scrappy. Telford capitalized and scored their sixth of the day – Matt Denver popping up with his first of the season, looping (potentially via a deflection) a reverse stick effort over the keeper into the far corner of the goal having galloped forward and being set up by Gareth Hawkins. Telford rounded off the scoring with the lively Sammy Brazier setting up Huffer on the left hand side of the D to dispatch a signature reverse stick finish into the far corner with the keeper stranded. Man of the match votes were split between hat trick hero Shave as well as the all action Keeble but with Hadley-Moore deservedly taking home the trophy for a fantastic all round performance. Next week Telford have a tough double header with a trip away to Ramgarhia on Saturday followed by a rearranged game against Finchfield on Sunday. Goals: Owen Shave x3, Sean Huffer x2, Matt Hadley-Moore, Matt Denver Assists: Matt Hadley-Moore x3, Sean Huffer, Lewis Moore, Sammy Brazier, Gareth Hawkins MOM: Matt Hadley-Moore
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