U11A Hockey v Merchiston (A)

Won 1-0

Having won 6-1 when we played Merchiston at home earlier in the term, this was a great opportunity to give some of the boys who have played more B team fixtures a chance to play up. It was a very even game throughout with chances at both ends. We had a lot of the ball in spells but couldn’t quite get the shots at goal and Merchiston caught us on the break a few times only to be thwarted by James S, Blake and Arthur with some last-ditch tackles and Toby covering back from midfield. Timothy, who was playing for the A team for the first time, made a couple of solid saves but we were also fortunate that the Merchiston striker shot just wide on a couple of occasions. We thought we had gone one nil up after our second penalty corner of the game but Toby’s shot was taken from just outside the circle.

In the second half, Geordie played at centre back and looked very comfortable in that position, making some well-timed tackles and playing the ball out to safety. Leo, who had played left wing in the first half, played at the back in the second and took up some good wide positions. Lochie was up front for a spell and linked up well with Hamish and Lochie on the break. Toby was now playing in his favoured position on the right and when the ball came out wide to him, he beat the first defender and sent a cracking cross across the goal only for debutant Jamie M to meet it and deflect it brilliantly home to take the lead. Merchiston really put the pressure on after conceding but our defence stood strong and Timothy made two unbelievable saves to deny an equaliser.

Overall, it was a very solid performance but we do need to try and use the width more, especially on a full sized half astro. Toby was our stand out performer today, having to work very hard in midfield but also for his excellent assist for the winning goal. However, special mention must go to the two Form 5s who were playing for the A team for the first time and were ultimately the difference in terms of our score line: Jamie scoring the winning goal and Timothy keeping the clean sheet in the dying moments of the game. Well done to everyone!