| OPPOSITION | Bedford Town 5th XI |
| VENUE | Away |
| DATE | 25-11-2006 |
| RESULT | Won 2-1 |
Potters Bar rewarded for their efforts in the rain
2-1 Win against Bedford sends Potters Bar HC further up the table
Last Saturday, Potters Bar Hockey Club’s run of good form continued with a well-deserved win against Bedford Town HC. The kick-off was accompanied by thunder and lightning and the skies opened within minutes of the start of the match. The heavy down-pour that followed made for a rugged but exciting match.
Potters Bar enjoyed much the best of the possession in the opening period with the ball rarely leaving the Bedford half. Bedford defended deep and in numbers and kept out a number of good shots on goal from forwards Adam Pigden, Chris Wood and Ed Newbury. As the pressure mounted, Potters Bar won a short corner from which the Potters Bar team thought Newbery had scored, only for the goal to be ruled out because the ball was travelling too high.
Minutes later, a good attack combination of Chris Edwards and Danny Becker fed a dangerous ball into the Bedford D. Pigden picked it up and squared it to Newbery who squeezed a shot past the Bedford keeper and over the line to score his first goal for the club. It remained at 1-nil until half time.
After some shelter from the rain during the interval, play resumed at the same high pace as in the first half. Within a minute of the re-start, Potters Bar won a free hit just outside the Bedford D. The precise delivery from Becker was expertly turned in by Owen Hughes to increase Potters Bar’s advantage to 2- nil.
Shortly after Bedford had restarted play following the second goal, a vicious challenge from one of the Bedford defenders caused a serious injury to Hughes, forcing him to leave the pitch for treatment. With the only Potters Bar substitute having been delayed by traffic congestion in Bedford town centre, the team was forced to play the remainder of the match with only 10 men, all of them drenched through to the skin by this time.
The departure of Hughes buoyed Bedford and for the first time in the match they started to go on the attack. The10 men of Potters Bar fought hard and the defence of Spencer Randon, Dan Andrews and Rob Donoghue neutralised the dangers, until Bedford were awarded three penalty corners in a row with 10 minutes to go. It proved third time lucky for the home side on the third penalty corner as the shot just beat keeper Andrew Stokes to bring Bedford back into the game at 2-1. This made for a frantic end to the game, but Potters Bar rallied well after conceding the goal and were unlucky twice not to score at the other end in the closing period. Just as the rain stopped, the match finished at 2-1 to Potters Bar.
Later the same day, a different set of PBHC players competed in a second match – the first time since the re-formation of the club in 2001 that it has raised two sides on the same day. As the growth of the club continues, further additional matches are planned for the New Year.
After drying off, the men of Potters Bar HC continue their campaign in Division 6SW with a home match on 2 December against British Aerospace HC. Push-back is at 2:30 pm at Dame Alice Owen’s School.
Team:
Andy Stokes, Spencer Randon, Dan Andrews, Rob Donoghue, Chris Wood, Danny Becker,
Chris Edwards, Owen Hughes, Paul Brady, Ed Newbery, Adam Pigden
Umpire: Alan Field
Goal scorers:
 |
 |
| Ed Newberry | Owen Hughes |