| OPPOSITION | Broxbourne 5th XI |
| VENUE | Home |
| DATE | 16-02-2008 |
| RESULT | Won 11-0 |
Potters Bar overcome a poor Broxbourne team. The score could have been a lot more but for an outstanding young goalkeeper.
Potters Bar got back to winning ways after their second defeat of the season the previous weekend. They did so in style against a weak Broxbourne team sitting at the bottom of the NE14HOCKEY East League Division Six South West table.
After only 3 minutes, Ed Newbery got the scoring underway. After struggling to score a short corner in their warm-up before the match, Bar scored with the first of the game, Newbery's shot from the top of the D going in.
With barely 10 minutes of the match gone Bar scored again. Top-scorer Andy Latham's shot was blocked by the young Broxbourne keeper and the ball rebounded to Andy Stokes who shot home.
A minute later Chris Wood bagged a rare goal for him as he picked up the ball with the keeper out of position and forced it under him as he dived to get back.
Broxbourne then started to find their feet somewhat and ventured upfield a few times, but without ever troubling the Bar keeper. As Bar switched their efforts to the wide-open spaces of the wings, they penetrated more often and a couple of fine saves from the young Broxbourne keeper kept the score down.
With half-time approaching Bar got their fourth goal. Liam Frame robbed a Broxbourne defender on the 25 yard line, then found Ed Newbery whose pass to Latham left him with a one on one with the keeper. A calm Latham coolly converted.
The second half was more of the same with one-way traffic from the restart. Bar were looking to make a statement after last week's painful loss and within 3 minutes a free hit from just outside the Broxbourne D was passed to Rob Donoghue on the right. His cross found the outstretched stick of Mark Turpin who cheekily dragged the ball into the goal.
After hitting the post, Bar got their sixth goal. A miss hit shot from Latham fooled everybody but Dave Ensor, alert as ever at the back post. While the defenders seemed to be letting the ball run out of play, Ensor was quick to the ball and dribbled it into the goal.
A minute later, Newbery set up Turpin for a simple tap-in and then Stokes got another after a one-two-three with the keeper. However Stokes was at fault in the next move as he wastefully shoot wide from an acute angle with forwards in prime positions begging for the pass.
With ten minutes to go, Stokes did complete his hat-trick. Good play by Liam Frame in the build-up led to Stokes swivelling and helping the ball into the goal.
Then Stokes got his fourth as the Broxbourne defense went AWOL yet again and left Bar with a 3 on 1 against the keeper.
The play of the match then occurred. A cross from the right was hit towards goal with a spectacular airborne shot by Newbery. Amazingly the excellent Broxbourne keeper stuck out a stick and deflected the ball wide. No one could really believe this sequence of events.
The final goal came in the last minute from a short corner. Turpin scored from a rebound after Newbery was allowed ample time for the initial shot.
All in all it was a good result but sadly not a competitive match. Tougher challenges lie ahead.
See the Welwyn & Hatfield Times article.
Team:
Dave Smith, Rob Donoghue, Jon Yates, Tim Bye, Paul Brady, Chris Chittleborough,
Andy Stokes, Chris Wood, Ed Newbery, Mark Turpin, Andy Latham, Dave Ensor, Liam Frame, Roy Hill
Umpire: Alan Field
Goal scorers:
Stokes (4), Turpin (3), Newbery, Wood, Latham, Ensor