HIGHWAYMAN SHARE SPOILS ON THE ROAD

Folkestone Optimists Men’s 7s 3 BOEHC Highwayman 3

This was all about fractions really … was the visiting team’s glass half-empty or half-full at the final whistle, after a pulsating game where no quarter was given, particularly in some of the euphemistically-termed “robust” treatment handed out to Ravi Wickramasuriya, who might have considered a punishment greater than a solitary green card was in order for his assailants from Folkestone? And it was indeed less a game of two halves than it was one of two quarters and a half, as the Highwaymen were dominant for the first and last 20 minutes of the match, where they contrived to miss a penalty flick and score two late goals, in a game where they were never ahead. In between, however, they were more “headless” than anything, conceding three equally bad goals to opponents who had a direct and successful game-plan of crashing long-balls forward to a useful and mobile frontline. At 1-3 down, and with the clock clicking down too, it appeared that the team was indeed going to have its unbeaten record hung, drawn and quartered by their nemesis from the Kent coast, but never count out the men in red once provoked. In fact, but for a number of efforts that went fractionally wide from the guesting Paul Whitney, the excellent Richard Cleall and the energetic David Leverton, the Highwaymen could even have cantered to victory. But overall? The guests from south-east London would have probably settled for a share of the spoils before the pushback after 4 straight defeats against Folkestone in Division 3. And recovering from a two-goal deficit late on made it feel far more like a point gained than two lost.

Once again, captain Stephen Gilbert, who made it onto the pitch via a late substitution to claim the team was never behind whilst he was playing, was forced to ring the changes due to the usual half-term selection headaches. On this occasion, no fewer than seven different players took to the field than had been in the previous week-end’s squad. Most prominent amongst these were Jonni Coleman, who slotted into the defence as seamlessly as a pair of PVC trousers, and the two debutants from Bath University, Jamie Rendell at full-back, and man-of-the-match Tom Davies, who scored the first BOEHC goal and was impressive throughout. The man from Penarth has a name that is far more Welsh than his accent, and eschewing the egg-chasing tendencies of his fellow citizens he is still most probably in Little Britain terms “the only hockey player in the village”.

It seems odd after conceding three to say that the keeper had a quiet game, but the returning Keith Elliott made a couple of good stops, could do nothing about the ones that beat him, and was probably left scratching his head as to what more he could have done, as was Mr. Dependable, Phil Kinch, who lined up in the centre of the back three as per usual. After 20 minutes when they should have been ahead, the guests instead found themselves one down after a short corner, although they were not helped by an overloud whistle from the immediately adjacent pitch which fatally halted the charge from the line and allowed the hosts a shot from out wide. And once parity was restored 10 minutes later, some sloppy defensive work allowed Folkestone to regain the lead almost immediately, to make it 1-1 at the break.

When the freakish third goal for the hosts arrived just before the hour mark, it could easily have been game over, but far from it. This time it was the Highwaymen who responded quickly with a smart finish from the alert Peter Robinson, clearly relishing the christening of his new adidas stick, and from then on the visitors pretty much encamped in the final third and laid siege to the Folkestone goal, which led a highly charmed life. Having younger legs in the team than when it was a veterans’ squad is clearly starting to pay dividends in the final quarter of games, and it was more than fitting that it was the Highwaymen’s energetic talisman, Josh Clark who popped up late on to ram in a deserved equaliser to make it 3-3 at the final whistle.

The Highwaymen therefore stay top of the table and face one of their other bogey teams, third-placed Canterbury, at home next week-end. The men in green are probably the most improved unit in Division 3 over the past 12 months and are definitely the form team since the turn of the year. BOEHC only boast one win in the last four meetings, and that was a highly fortuitous and narrow home victory in late 2015 after trailing 0-2 early on.

So the message for November is clear … no half measures!

Team:
Keith Elliott (GK), Tim Walters, Phil Kinch, Jonni Coleman, Peter Robinson, Ravi Wickramasuriya, David Leverton, Richard Cleall, Jamie Rendell, Josh Clark, Paul Whitney, Tom Davies and Stephen Gilbert (C).

Man-of-the-match:
Tom Davies – an excellent first appearance, particularly in an outstanding first-half display where he ran the hosts ragged and scored a valuable equaliser.

Umpires:
The usual two from Folkestone who did well as usual, albeit with a slight tendency to let a little too much physicality creep in at times. The hospitality at Three Hills from the hosts’ team management was as excellent as always, making the long round-trip highly worthwhile for those squad members that make themselves available for this most distant of fixtures.