Derby Asterdale Men’s 1sts vs Rolls Royce 1sts- Umpires make all the difference!

Derby went into their third friendly of the season, with fierce rivals Rolls Royce, in confident mood after the shoots of good play started to emerge last week. But this was short lived, after being reminded of how competent the world famous Royce’s umpires have been over the years.
And their rose tinted glasses were firmly in place in today’s game. The match started brightly for Derby Asterdale, as the defensive training worked on in the week seemed to have instilled the back four with a new found belief; in both a positional and tackling sense. (Also helped by the return of the excellent Ross Richards and the ever consistent Fuzzy.)

But as the rain fell, so did the umpires judgement, with ever foot and stick tackle made by Royce’s left unpunished. Even Royce’s players were feeling embarrassed, and took it upon themselves to help umpire the game. And it was one of the uncalled foot fouls which lead to the opening goal. The influential Ian Wilson playing the ball onto the player’s foot waited for the foul, which did not come, Royce’s played the ball into the area and after a mix up between right back and goalie the ball was prodded home.

The second soon followed, Rob Howarth pulling off an outstanding save but the ball got caught underneath his hand and the ball was poked in. The robust captain, Karl Lucas, was again in fine form and he tried to rally the troops. Unfortunately, the one and only lapse in concentration from the formidable Fuzzy, in his first game of the season, led to an unstoppable third.

Finally, the rain yielded and through the pitch gate emerged a white knight (Will Howarth). The Arsene Wenger of the hockey world barked his orders and guidance from the side of the pitch which seemed to enthuse the Derby team.

This was continued into the second half, as were the poor umpiring decisions with one umpire blowing for fouls and the other playing on! This didn’t affect Derby’s play and they popped the ball around nicely. But Derby’s ascendancy was dealt a blow as Ging was given a yellow card for? I am not quite sure. Captain Karl didn’t want to be overshadowed and he pulled off a superb diving tackle to stop a definite goal.

The confidence continued to flow through the team, with the forwards putting in a shift upfront with little reward. Finally the versatile Ben Taylor inspired Derby to a breakthrough. He showed his skill with a blistering run down the right, were he played a one two, with Vietnam bound Tom Fitchett and unleashed tantalising ball across the D, which David Green dispatched at the third attempt.

In the end, Royce’s grabbed a late fourth as the tiredness was showing. But another step in the right direction for Derby as the team continues to gel for the new season. MOM- Karl Lucas for his bone crunching tackles at the back. DOD- Martin Foster for his inability to reverse without hitting a telephone pole, and using his cut offs as a plate for his stew.

Team:
Rob
Ben Karl Adam Ross
Dave Ian Ging Martin
Pat Kyle
Subs- John Tom