Date: Saturday 14th September 2024, 12:00
MOM: Chapman
Goals: Breeze x2, Alexander, Atha
The stage was set at Fortress Macmillan for the opening game of the season. With Stokesley HC fresh off their promotion and national cup final, the boys were eager to make amends after two tough defeats to todays opponents Durham HC in last weekend's County Cup. The crowd buzzed with excitement as the boys in yellow took to the field, their energy palpable. Mr. Welsh’s moustache bristled majestically in the morning sun, adding to the drama of the occasion, while a familiar face, Mr. Molyneux, returned to the field donning umpire green. Would this poacher-turned-gamekeeper make an impact in today’s match?
From the whistle, Stokesley took control. The men in yellow dominated the opening half, creating chance after chance. It was no surprise when Mr. Breeze opened the scoring with a sublime penalty corner, deceiving the keeper and putting Stokesley in the lead. Midfield maestro Mr. Chapman commanded the center of the pitch, orchestrating attacks and pulling the strings with precision, a performance which would comfortably win Stokesleys returning prodigal son man of the match.
The men in yellow could easily have gone into the break 3-0 up, but uncomposed striker Jack Atha squandered multiple chances, failing to capitalize on a string of opportunities against a keeper who looked distinctly average. Despite the wasted chances, the boys were full of energy, chomping at the bit for the second half.
With part two underway, Stokesley picked up right where they left off, controlling possession and dictating the pace of the game. Durham’s players were timid, retreating to the halfway line they could barely muster a response. They were clearly rattled by Mr. Breeze's superb distribution, crying out “Mildert” as they struggled to cope and organise.
Atha managed to open the second half scoring after some lovely build-up play, uncharacteristically finding the correct part of the side net. The burst of form was to be short lived however with the captain finding himself dismissed for two minutes at the hands of Mr.Molyneuxs whistle for a pathetic attempt at argy bargy play.
Durham responded with a scrappy goal, giving them a lifeline. But Stokesley quickly reasserted their dominance. Mr. Breeze once again stepped up to the plate, trusting the trap from Mr.Alexander he delivered another textbook penalty corner dragflick, doubling his tally and restoring the two-goal cushion.
Sublime vision and aerial ability from Mr.Alexander saw the Moustached Menance Welsh through on goal. A deft overhead trap was followed up by a crowd pleasing on the bounce volley. The headlines were ready for print, but were denied by a mere whisker. His efforts would rather comfortably reward him with DoD.
Durham’s frustration grew as they identified James Joshua Alexander as a threat. In a desperate attempt to neutralize him, the Durham center-back tried to fabricate a not-5 call from a defensive 16. But JJ had other plans, stealing the ball and delivering a thumping reverse-hit goal. Not bad considering he missed the warm-up!
Durham did manage to claw one back with a penalty corner that trickled past postman Jolyon, his hamstring screaming in protest. But any hope of a comeback was snuffed out by Phil Morgan, who played a fantastic log game, with Durham unable to find a way past the sprawling roadblock.
As the final whistle blew, Stokesley HC emerged victorious, a 4-2 triumphant performance in their opening game of the season. There is to be no doubt that this a sign of greater things to come for the men in yellow.
Next game: Newcastle M1 - AWAY (Saturday 21st September 2024, 15:00 push back)
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