ALL GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES

BEHC Highwaymen 3 Marden Russets Men's 4s 2

It would probably be fair to say that the best team may not have won this feisty encounter, but possibly the more deserving one of the two did eventually come out on top.  A very different team from the one the Highwaymen faced back in October rocked up for an early 10.00 start at a blustery Avery Hill, and Marden proved to be just as tricky opponents as predicted beforehand - tactically cute, well-drilled, some great youngsters on show, but with more older heads than in their previous "development squad" mode.  However, the men in red just seem do be their bogey team at the moment, winning three of the last four tight league matches (it would have been four but for some "imaginative" time-keeping by a home umpire at Marden last year), and running out 3-2 winners on this latest occasion, exactly as they had done in the corresponding fixture last season.  And yet again, it was thanks to three goals from the currently prolific Matt Robinson, who played a solo roving forward role very well indeed against often uncompromising opposition.  In a team performance where everybody could come off with their heads held high, the three stand-out performers on the day were keeper Rupert Greaves, the aforementioned Mr. Robinson and the inimitable Tony Mitchell.

The men in yellow from Marden started well, and it was rather against the run of play when fine work from Mitchell set up Robinson's opener after 11 minutes.  It appeared that the visitors had equalised midway through the half when a long punt into the D was deflected twice past the home keeper, but it soon became clear that neither deflection had come from an away forward, so the Highwaymen breathed again, but had to survive a flurry of penalty corners to maintain their lead until half-time.  Excellent work from keeper Rupert Greaves on the ground, in the air, with stick, mitt and boot, maintained the home side's advantage, but the next goal was always likely to prove decisive.  Disaster seemed to strike when the team's centre mid maestro Andy Rose limped off early with a hamstring injury which does not bode well for the next few games in February, but substitute Gary D'Souza did a fine job plugging the gaps and keeping the team ticking over.  However, it was Stephen Gilbert who nearly scored the goal of the season, ghosting in at the left hand post from all of a yard away to volley a seemingly unstoppable shot to double the lead, only to see the Marden keeper pull off a fantastic close-range save.

The second half continued in similar vein, and eventually the short-corner tally told as Marden deservedly equalised, albeit from a somewhat mishit diagonal shot across the D.  Worse was to follow as the visitors took the lead, again from a well-worked short routine, and the hosts were now truly under the cosh.  Broken, but not bowed, the home side kept going, taking the game to their opponents amid some at times overly physical and rather agricultural tactics from one or two players in yellow.  If you name your club somewhat bizarrely after a type of fruit, then you are going to have to put up with occasional comments about rotten apples in the barrel etc., but some of the stick-play on show owed far more to Spear & Jackson, than either Grays or Kookaburra, so it was no surprise when the umpires had to brandish a card to calm things down a bit.

Then, out of the blue with ten minutes left, the Highwaymen conjured up an unlikely equaliser, as the predatory Matt Robinson latched on to a ball that had ballooned into the away D off a defenders's foot/stick and gave the keeper no chance.  In truth, after everything that had happened, the home team would have doubtless settled for a point, but for one last pertinent "three" in the tale.  Make do with a draw?  Try telling that to Tony Mitchell, currently probably Division 2's most-fouled player.  With exactly three minutes left on the clock, and after taking a look back at his weary defence which had taken a fearful battering for much of the previous 67 minutes, and which was - visually, at least - barely held together by bits of velcro and bandage, he decided that attack was indeed the best form of defence.  Setting off on a weaving 60-metre run, cutting swathes through the yellow defences and heading into the D one last time, he was unable to apply the finish himself, but both Matthew Robinson and captain Stephen Gilbert were on hand to apply the coup de grâce, the latter proving what a gentlemen he is by letting the former claim the goal, as Avery Hill currently has no VAR facility to facilitate a full stewards' enquiry.

The finish matched, if not bettered, that at Ashford two weeks previously, when the Highwaymen once again won it at the death.  Now level on points with third-placed BBHC, next up is the local derby with the in-form BEHC Dynamos, most recent conquerors of BBHC.  There really are no easy games in Divison 2 this season.

Team:
Rupert Greaves (GK), Tim Walters, Phil Kinch, Richard Cleall, Stephen Gilbert, Ravi Wickramasuriya, Phil Bunker, Andy Rose, Tony Mitchell, Gary D'Souza, Chris Bernard, Tony D'Cruz and Matt Robinson.

Man-of-the-match:
Tony Mitchell - once again wrestled the initiative back from the opponents when all seemed lost, and his lung-busting final sprint from D to D set up the winning goal in dramatic fashion.  He has become the team's undisputed talisman this season.

Umpires:
Ed Smyth and Mark Ainley both did an exceptional job in a game that was never far away from boiling over, but one where they kept the lid on things superbly throughout.  Sympathetic whistling, diffusing volatile moments and only producing cards when really necessary all served to assist a thrilling match between two highly-competitive teams.