NO NEED TO PARK THE BUSS (… EITHER OF THEM)

Canterbury Friars 0 BEHC Highwaymen 3

Anybody who watched Saturday's match at the Polo Farm will confirm that this mid-season friendly was far from being a waste of time, quite the contrary. Since last season when both teams were in Kent Open Division 3 the Friars have hit on hard times and slumped to the foot of the table, so this match was a welcome change from league action for the home team. As always, Canterbury were great and welcoming hosts, and it will only be a matter of time before they get back to where they belong in terms of league placings. For the visitors, however, the fixture proved to be an even more interesting experiment, as the hybrid team - the "Hynamos" perchance? - comprised 50% Highwaymen, 25% Dynamos and 25% debutants … and what a highly potent cocktail that mixture of ingredients produced!

The visitors tore into the hosts with the youthful right-side combination of Max Taylor and Ben Corsie never giving the home defenders a moment's peace for the full 70 minutes. It was the former who helped open the scoring on 9 minutes with a jinking and incisive run that set up fellow striker Matt Robinson for a smart finish. He nearly added one himself later in the half with a nice looking tomahawk that sailed narrowly past the right hand post. The latter was simply relentless in the second half, and was hugely diligent in terms of covering and winning the ball back on the rare occasions when he lost possession.

It was only fitting that the other goals came from two of the excellent debutants, both of whom showed their pedigree from earlier hockey careers, whilst simultaneously proving that class is permanent and always capable of resurrection. Christian Manito took on the central midfield playmaker role and was a revelation from start to finish, his smart low finish past the keeper following a short corner proving ample reward for his endeavours in an unfamiliar playing role, and giving the men in red a comfortable 2-0 cushion at the break. Seb Buss too matched him in this regard with an energetic performance on the left-hand side of midfield, his discipline and hard-work eventually yielding an opportunity midway through the second half which he finished exquisitely from a tight angle across the keeper into the far right corner .

Both of these two only missed out on the Man-of-the-Match award by a whisker, thanks to the brilliant performance of Seb's son, Joe Buss, who was parked in front of the back three and proved as impassable as a red Routemaster. The fact that the home team did not manage a single penetration of the visitors' D or a shot at goal was in no small part down to his reading of the game and timely interventions in the middle.

In truth, it looked like the visitors were anything but a "scratch" side, such was the attractive nature of the hockey being played in the cool, sunny conditions in Canterbury, and much of the credit for the successful integration of the "guests" must go to the Highwaymen core of the team. The aforementioned Matt Robinson concluded a great half-season with a lively performance till his hamstring tightened up, and Sammy Chana again proved effective with his languid, laid-back style, despite having the punctuality record of an old British Rail timetable. Greg Dowse once more showed why he is the team's greatest asset and a total Club man, playing - despite a foot injury - as a fully-fledged goalkeeper in the first half, and a kicking back in the second. The shut-out of the Friars shows that he really can play anywhere on the pitch - fantastic. The match saw the welcome return to the defensive ranks of the implacable talent, calm and good humour of the one-and-only Steve Miller, who always adds a whiff of Abracadabra to the Highwaymen's magical mix. Even captain Stephen Gilbert nearly got in on the act at the far post - plaster cast and all - with a short-range chance that only narrowly eluded his lunge. (Just in case his lovely wife gets to read the match report, it is worth pointing out that body-doubles were in fact used for all the scenes when he was actually on the pitch, so he was in no danger really!)

A special mention is dispatches has to go Matt Southgate, who was absolutely outstanding at right-back, breaking up play with timely interventions and using the ball well when mounting attacks from the back. His Charles Atlas-like physique and height do give rise to the odd solar eclipse across the defensive D on sunny days, but he eclipsed virtually all the Friars' attacking threat down the right anyway.

And so, that's that for the first half of 2018-2019, and a massive vote of thanks is due to Stephen, the Club and the diligent match-day manager, Mark Ainley for getting teams out every week, organising four pre-season and two mid-season friendlies, and coming up with a winning formula on the pitch just about every week. Saturday's game also gave some very interesting food for thought if the debutants are available for league action in 2019, as the squad has been rather threadbare most week-ends.

But all that can wait while the core Highwaymen go off to their Santa Claus jobs over the holiday period. Have a joyous and wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Team:
Greg Dowse (GK), Tim Walters, Joe Buss, Steve Miller, Matt Southgate, Christian Manito, Seb Buss, Ben Corsie, Sammy Chana, Max Taylor, Matt Robinson and Stephen Gilbert (C).

Man-of-the-match:
Joe Buss - an incredibly mature central defensive performance from the young debutant who is massive of heart and talent, if not necessarily in terms of vertical inches, as witnessed by only his eyes appearing in the team photo above. All good players seem to have more time on the ball than those around them, and Joe is no exception, taking his time and making good decisions in the centre of the park. A classy performance.

Umpires:
Mark Ainley and a Canterbury representative both officiated really well in a game that was played in excellent spirit by both teams throughout.