Men’s 1st’s (P) vs. (P) Leeds 4
Men’s 1s called off at half time due to freezing conditions.
Men’s 2nd’s (1) vs. (2) Sheffield Uni Bankers 4th’s
Missing 2 open goals and 6 unconverted penalty corners was the difference between the final scoreline and a far different result. Slaz travelled to Meadowhead for their second fixture of the season depleted; missing Captain Ste Roberts and top goalscorer Richard Tuddenham. The team re-arranged to fill the missing gaps and pressed on, however struggled to find a consistent rhythm. An early missed open goal was perhaps a sign of things to come.
Sheffield scored a first goal after enjoying some pressure, and Slaz tried to respond. The result was a series of penalty corners, but none bore fruit and the team went into halftime 1-0 down. The second half was similar; Sheffield applied a high and fast press, which stifled the Slazenger options. A rebounded shot gave Sheffield a second goal, putting them 2-0 ahead, but not reflective of the game. At the other end, Slaz continued to win penalty corners; Ian Hedges converting one to reduce the deficit. However, with time running out, Sheffield were able to hold on and take all 3 points. Slazenger host Barnsley next week, looking to return to winning form.
Men’s 3rd’s (4) vs. (2) City of York 6th’s
A cold, but sunny, Saturday afternoon set the scene for today’s game. The previous meeting finished 3-3, with a late equaliser from Slaz grabbing a point.
A dominant start to the game from Slaz, with quick, sharp passing around the midfield, but York defending equally as strong. Six minutes in, after a sequence of half shots following the first short corner of the game, Damian cleverly got the ball past the York keeper to break the deadlock early. Soon after, James caused problems for York’s defence, winning another short which ended up being converted by an opposition defender, the last touch from Slazengers was Harry Ashford. York responded to this quick play down the wings by clattering Scott, and getting their first card of the game, a green for a cynical foul down the right touchline. Lazy York defending, and brilliant pressure from the Slazenger forwards, won further short cotners, but none were to be converted. York then received a yellow with about 10 to go, after a tussle in the middle of the park, with Scott at the centre of it again. However, York replied with a well taken breakaway goal, completely against the run of play. Two back-to-back shorts for Slaz finished the half, with Mark Hammond restoring the two goal lead with a Murray-esque overhead smash. HT 3-1 Slaz.
Second half had much more of an even balance. Slaz with chances, but often inviting unnecessary pressure on themselves throughout the game. 11 minutes into the half, James earned his goal, poking in a superb finish after a great ball into the D from Mark. York tried to find a way back into the game, which could’ve easily been put to bed as Slaz missed a few agonisingly close attempts. York again had the ball in the back of our net, but this one was disallowed. However, they got their second with less than 10 left on the clock. A scrappy finish, and a score line that doesn’t tell the whole truth of the game, but a win picked up on the road for Slazenger. FT 4-2 Slaz.
Men’s 4th’s (3) vs. (3) Boston Spa 2nd’s
The men’s 4s started our game with an early goal during our visit to host a spa but we couldn’t hold the lead as the hosts equalised not long after. We retook the lead but once again the hosts equalised minutes before half time. The 4s started the second half slow but created the better of the chances unfortunately with 10 minutes to go the hosts took the lead for the first time. Desperate attacking from the 4th team lead to an acrobatic equaliser from the captain but the late Slazenger onslaught couldn’t reclaim the lead. Final score 3-3.
Development (3) vs. (4) Rotherham 2
The Slazenger Devs team continued from last week with great teamwork, passing and moving throughout. Rotherham opened the scoring early in the game but this did not discourage the Slazenger team who continued to move the ball around well for Declan Buxton to even the game, Rotherham scored again twice before goals from Owen Wiper and Issac Rawling evened the game up once more , Matilda came close to putting Slazenger ahead, but it was Rotherham who managed to secure the win with a goal in the last few minutes.
Ladies 1st’s (6) vs. (3) Doncaster 2nd’s
Slazenger hosted Doncaster 2nd’s, and ran out 6-3 winners. Goals came frrom Hannah Field (2), Laura Teasdale, Jessica Rudge (2) and Mollie Gilbert.
Ladies 2nd’s (6) vs. (0) Horsforth 1st’s
This week we were finally able to play after 2 cancelled matches. The game kicked off with Horsforth looking strong in the opening 10 minutes, putting us under real pressure, but our defence stood firm, holding them off and proving we weren’t there to be walked over. Once we found our rhythm, we began to step up, building momentum with plenty of attacks. Despite some promising chances, the ball stubbornly refused to find the back of the net. We continued a disciplined display, with considered passing and keeping possession. Then, in the final 5 minutes of the first half, the breakthrough came after Ella Haigh stormed the ball to the back of the net from a short corner, scoring our first goal! Not long after, Lou Haigh delivered a brilliant strike to secure a 2-0 lead going into halftime.
The usual critical halftime team talk worked wonders. We returned to the pitch fired up and ready to fight. The second half saw us truly dominate, with the goals raining in. Lou Haigh added another to her tally, Stacey Drake struck with precision, Nicci Swinden’s efforts paid off with a fantastic finish, and Kerry Williamson sealed the deal with a last-minute goal, leaving the crowd cheering. Final Score: 6-0. Player went to our Duracell bunny, Kez, for never stopping running and putting in a hard graft the whole game.
Ladies 3rd’s (3) v (3) Adel 4th’s
In a thrilling and nail-biting encounter, Slazenger Ladies 3s battled to a hard-earned 3-3 draw against Adel 4s in a match that was full of twists and turns. From the first whistle, Slazenger showed their attacking intent. Ellie Page was a constant threat on the right wing, making driving runs and delivering powerful crosses into the D. The forwards were unlucky not to capitalize on these opportunities, as a series of near-misses kept the score level. Centre midfielder Rebecca Furness also showcased her vision with an exceptional long ball that found centre forward Caro Schofield in the box, but Schofield’s shot narrowly missed the target.
Despite Slazenger’s early dominance, it was Adel who drew first blood against the run of play. The goal, scored just before the break, saw Adel take a 1-0 lead into half-time. The momentum shifted in the second period, with Adel finding the net twice more to extend their lead to 3-1. However, Slazenger never gave up. Goalkeeper Lauren Hattersley was pivotal in keeping her team in the game, making two crucial one-on-one saves in the final minutes as Adel looked to close out the match.
Slazenger’s resilience paid off and in the dying moments, Page, who had been tireless throughout the match, pulled one back, making it 3-2 and setting up a dramatic finish. Slazenger’s attacking pressure intensified, and they earned a series of short corners in quick succession. The final chance came after the full-time whistle, when Lisa Minchella’s shot was saved off the line by an Adel defender’s foot. With nerves of steel, Lauren Fealy stepped up to take the penalty flick and dispatched the flick into the corner of the goal, securing an incredible 3-3 draw for her side. Player of the match was deservingly awarded to Page for her standout performance.
Ladies 4th’s (4) vs. (3) Driffield 3rd’s
A weekend of mixed emotions for the Ladies 4s.
Opening the double header by welcoming Driffield to Slaz on Saturday, the Ladies 4s got off to a great start with Alys Kaushiva finding the backboard on the rebound from a saved short corner in the first 15 minutes, however the advantage was short lived as only 1 minute later Driffield equalised. In the 20th minute Charlotte Young scored on the reverse or maybe using back stick…who knows? The controversial 3rd goal of the game rattled Driffield who struggled to compose themselves. However, in the 40th minute they managed to get an equaliser and seemed to be the stronger side against a tiring Slaz team. It wasn’t until the 55th minute that Slaz managed to tie together their next meaningful attack with a shot from the top of the D from Abigail Stewart saved by Driffield’s keeper, the clearance was picked up Gemma Wroe who hit the post with her first shot on goal but managed to find the back of the net on the 2nd attempt. Slaz’s lead was once again short-lived with Driffield managing to bring the scores level once more. The last 5 minutes of the game was tense, but motivated by the crowd on the sidelines Slaz managed to secure the lead for the final time with Alys Kaushiva chipping the ball over the Driffield keeper who was laid covering the entire goal line. Ladies 4s walked away with a 4-3 victory.
Sunday was a different story, with none of the Ladies 4s defence available for this rearranged game and half the team playing out of position. The Ladies 4s all gave it their everything, battling through injuries and some unforgiving weather but the game ended 0-7 against a very strong opposition.
Leave a Reply