Ladies 4s v Sale Ladies 3s 3-2 loss

Christmas traffic, driving rain & a pitch of sludge awaited us in Manchester for our late afternoon match. Hoping for a win, with only 1 sub & an unwell goalkeeper out of retirement, everything was crossed.

From the outset, we drove up the pitch like women possessed! Passing the ball around, dribbling around players & invading their D certainly gave Sale a taste of our mindset. Energy levels were high! Alison Kellett, all over the midfield, running up into their danger zone & causing havoc. Sophie Goodwin had a stormer of a game; when not tackling players, was poised perfectly on the post & most unlucky not to score. Playing extremely high was working well. However, the Sale players pounced on any breakthrough balls with direct hits from the top of the D which were saved by the defence & Adele White who had not donned the goalkeeper kit for 5 years! Special thanks to Mary Lofthouse for making the save of the season; clearing the ball off the line. Unluckily, Sale scored a goal which had been driven along the back line.

By half time we had scored twice from a short corner thanks to the trio of Kellett (1st goal), Tanya Downes & Eleanor Saignes (2nd goal) who worked well on injecting, slipping & using their powerful hits to overcome the opposition.

It was empowering to go back onto the pitch knowing that we were winning but we were not complacent. We played out our skins; confident & driven. They scored a second goal from a short corner. We were desperate for a third but despite stalwart efforts, it did not happen. In the last 5 minutes or so, Sale got a second wind. White performed numerous dives & sliding saves to not let them slip another past us. 100% was given by every player throughout the whole game. Our next match at home, hosting Alderley Edge.

Men’s 3s v Macclesfield – postponed

Macclesfield cancelled at the last minute, leaving the Crewe team at a loss….but not for long! With a full squad & subs the Men took to half a pitch in a 6 v 6. Good craic was had all round with plenty of good hockey played & only the occasional foul!
Match to be replayed at home next week!

Ladies 3s v Northop Hall 2s 4-0 loss

At home to 4th in the league Crewe were poised & ready for the game ahead. Crewe started well holding the press & creating the attack down the wings from April Roome & Claire Duncan to show the away side their 3-D skills. There was strong movement around the pitch from both sides in the first half but unfortunately Northop took the lead from a short corner to go 1-0 up.

Going into the 2nd half following a positive team talk; crewe were confident, soaking up the pressure & keeping the ball in the attacking half. Tricia Boffey was unlucky not to put away chances following great shots from Anna Bates and Paula Bourne. Lily Gorman soaked up the pressure well in midfield but the opposition punished Crewe with another 2 quick goals. Penny Jones battled hard to create chances but a strong away side kept the goals at bay. They welcomed Grace Newman to the team this week who linked well with Nova Wallace & Cat Whittaker to dominate the defence. GK Amanda Kimber was as strong as ever vocally supporting the team! Despite Crewe’s driving presence and dedication throughout the game, they were unable to find the back of the net. Player of the match was awarded to Rachel Fairfield.

Men’s 2s v Timperley 8-0 Win

Crewe 2s found themselves in a very rainy game against Timperley in the final game before Christmas. Crewe dominated the game from the outset applying a high press & building pressure on the Timperley defence which resulted in a short corner being awarded. Greg Marshall found Gareth Pask on the post to get Crewe on the scoreboard. The pressure continued & Bruce Forster found space in the D to slot home 2 more goals. Iain Ford also evaded the Timperley defence before sitting the keeper down & slotting the ball neatly home. 4-0 at half time; Crewe continued to push & apply pressure. Marshall went on a mazy dribble from his own half & finished the ball at the near post to get the second half scoring started. Forster continued to exploit gaps in the Timperley defence to grab his 3rd and 4th. Jordan Ashmore reacted to a shot from Marshall which hit the post to complete a comprehensive win for Crewe. MOM: Bruce Forster for a clinical forward display.

Ladies 1s v Wrexham 1s 3-3

Off to a good start passing the ball around the back from Georgie Brown at right back all the way across to Emma Bostock on the left and utilising all the players on the pitch. Dionne Johnson and Emily Ford were like work horses and linked up as a team sweeping up any balls coming through. Unfortunately Crewe allowed Wrexham to score.
Vicki Lee, Gilly Gibbs Blythe and Emma Bostock were determined not to let Wrexham have any more chances. A great team effort of the ball being sent out from the defence to Izzy Escott on the wing who ran like the wind to pass the ball square into Zoe Franklin who then passed it to Shez Marsden to score. 2-1 half time. Wonderful runs were being made by Zoe, Becky Izzy and Shez making their defence work hard. The team started to play the ball around the back with confidence. A short corner given after Dionne was driving solidly through to the D but was struck to the side. The ball was sent out to Lisa at the top who stuck the ball in, saved by the keeper and then a rebound ball from Izzy who scored a great goal from the top of the D. A pass was made from Lisa from the left to the right to Vicki and then the ball was passed down the wing to Becky who smashed it it to Shez in the air who volleyed the ball in from chest height into the back of the net. 3-3 and the game became tense but positivity from each and every one of the team kept Crewe settled. Alison Smith made some tremendous saves including one with her head.
Emily Ford was awarded player of the match for her excellent work in the middle.

Men’s 1s v Didsbury Northern 5-3 Loss

This week the Mens 1st team travelled to Manchester to face Didsbury. With only 11 players it was always going to be a tough day, Didsbury started strong scoring 2 goals early on before Vagrants got a grip of the game, the midfield 3 of Jack Townsend, Tom Howard & Dave Holland work hard throughout the game regularly find space to attack. Just before half time Crewe pulled one back through a Chris Regan short corner before Didsbury scored their 3rd on the half time whistle. Crewe started the second half of the much strong team with another 2 short corners being tucked away courtesy of Holland & Regan. Unfortunately the lack of substitutes began to tell as Didsbury scored 2 late goals to take the game 5-3.

Ladies 2s v Northop Hall 1s 4-1 Loss

The Ladies’ 2nd team were hoping to finish 2018 with a win, but it wasn’t to be. Within the first 10 mins Vagrants went 2-0 down with 2 goals from open play. Grace Leonard demonstrating her potential with some valuable saves to keep Northop’s lead to 2 goals. A cruel blow before half time when Northop added a third goal.
An extra gear was suggested at half time & an extra gear was given. Bev Jackson & Lucy Morriss had shown glimpses of great interplay in the first half, & with the help of Nat Stevenson, playing in a more attacking role, led to Jackson having the ball very close to baseline & close to the outside of the D. That didn’t deter Jackson from shooting…from what looked like an impossible angle Jackson hit the side board!! It did take a few moments for the goal to register…with everyone on the pitch & on the sideline!! This goal gave Vagrants the much needed impetus and plenty of my attacking play & possession ensued. Vagrants worked so hard to the end desperate to win the half, & with the team pressing high, Northop added a 4th goal. Mel Brooks was awarded player of the match working the right hand side tirelessly and with skill.

Sunday

The U14 boys travelled to Stone for the 2nd fixture of the EH tournament.
For their 1st game they faced Stone. The Crewe boys settled well from the start with some great passing around the pitch creating great opportunities. Stone responded quickly putting our defence under pressure. With no goal keeper Crewe stayed strong but a loss 6-0.
Going into the 2nd game against Mossley Hill, Crewe player Vinnie Springett stepped in to play kicking back. The game was end to end with Springnett make some great saves but Mossley Hill scored a couple of goals in quick succession. Keeping spirits high Crewe went on the attack, forwards Ben Jarvis & Charlie Ashmore working well together & getting shots on target & winning numerous short corners. A short corner saw Crewe’s first goal with a straight strike from Ashmore. Mossley Hill came out strong in the 2nd half winning 6-1.
The final game of the day was against Cannock.The weather started to turn & the boys were tiring but they still kept fighting. Cannock attacked hard keeping Crewe’s defence busy scoring early on. Responding quickly with some great teamwork we were not able to get the goals. Cannock winning 7-0.
It was great to watch the boys working so well together today & although they lost their games a vast improvement was seen since their last fixture. Onwards & upwards.

Next fixture: 27th January @ Mossley Hill.