7th January Match Reports

Stockport Team Match Report

REDDISH HANG ON FOR VICTORY

The first game back after Christmas saw an eager Reddish side wanting to continue where they had left off before the break. A mainly unchanged side took the game to Stockport right from the off with runs down the middle of the pitch putting early pressure on the Stockport defence. An early penalty corner which was shot just wide of the left hand post set the tone of the game, with Reddish willing to attack.

During the early stages of the first half Reddish looked to exposed Stockport down the two wings and created a lot of crossing opportunities. However these were handled well by the Stockport defence and they quickly counterattacked, playing the ball down the centre of the pitch where most of the space seemed to appear. Crosses into the Reddish D were cleared by the defence with Sarah having to make a number of key saves, including a four in one save, to keep the scores level leading up to half time.

As the first half drew to a close, Reddish continued to attack, this time down the middle of the pitch which seemed to confuse Stockport and they were rewarded for their attacking play during the first half. A well timed pass to the back post saw Natalie Sutherland put Reddish ahead with a tap past the Stockport keeper and take Reddish into half time one-nil up.

Going into the second half reddish looked to confirm their assertiveness and used the space again on the wings to run into the Stockport D. Lots of penalty corners were conceded by Stockport in the early part of the second half and reddish were unlucky not to convert. The Stockport defence held firm and the only way they seemed to enter the Reddish half was through one handed dribbling right through the middle of the pitch. Despite this Reddish doubled their lead thanks to a fantastic piece of individual skill from Jenny Worth. After picking up the ball inside her own half, Jenny ran past anyone who stood in front of her displaying excellent dribbling skills and was rewarded with a goal after taking in round the Stockport keeper and finishing into an open net.

Stockport were by no means beaten and continued to attack Reddish, scoring in open play after the defence were unable to clear. This lead for a nail biting last fifteen minutes of play as Stockport looked to score an equaliser and nearly did so was it not for a diving save from Sarah to stop the ball going into the bottom right hand corner. Reddish however held firm, with concentration being the key element at the end of the game and won an excellent game of hockey by two goals to one. The well earned victory ensured Reddish retain their second place spot in the league and keep the pressure on Heaton

Rachel Dunley