On a bright, frosty, early Saturday morning the Pumas arrived to play Gosport with overflowing confidence and exuberance following the emphatic defeat of Lavant from the previous week!
Wait a minute…….that’s not what happened at all!
With a third of the team being teenagers it was clearly too early for them and they’d left their hockey brains in bed.
In the early exchanges we gave the ball away needlessly and got caught in possession too often. (Oh Dear, Nathan Moore, AKA Wobbly) This became evident when Gosport were gifted the ball and allowed to waltz into the D and take an early lead. 0-1. Wakey Wakey!
The next 15 mins was very frustrating, we seemed to have forgotten the game and the fluid passing hockey we’ve become accustomed to playing eluded us. A couple of fine saves by Ellis kept us in the game.
Eventually we won a short corner, using our precision play affectionately known as “The Liam” we drew level after the conversion from, you’ve guessed it, Liam. 1-1
A little more awake now we attacked at pace, Mooro broke into the D and unleashed a shot which deflected off the inside edge of the keepers leg guard into the path of the oncoming Pete Wingate, one touch and finish! What it didn't hit his leg I hear you ask?)
2-1 going into the break, although from our players body language at half time you could see that nobody was happy with their performance.

The second half began much the same as the first.
If not for sterling work at the back from Jabba, Rob Dowdell and Ellis we could have easily found ourselves behind.
Gosport decided that they needed some target practice, not at goal but at Sammy! Two to the foot one to thumb and one to the chest! Yet as he does he soldiered on, good job too as our next PC injection went a bit awry, picked up by Sammy put through to Mooro, squared to Dan Witcher who slapped it into the roof of the net (first shot below back board height??!!) no matter 3-1
Excellent work from both our wide midfield players Xander and most notably Finley Boz, whose sensible, high ball paced play earned him MoM, created chances for our forwards to miss. (It’s coming Ed!).
Gosport fired a hopeful ball into our D beyond the steadfast Jabba and Rob's man deflected it in past Ellis. 3-2
Squeaky bum time.
60 mins in (11:10am seems like a good time to wake up) and we started to play the ball around much better and keep possession a bit more, helped by Nathan Khan, to exploit the right hand side, switched to the left to Finley Boz who laid it off and into the D for another PC.
What shall we do?!
How about “The Liam”?
4-2. Win.
Honestly, our PC conversion rate this half of the season is phenomenal!
We didn’t play particularly well, but a win is a win, right?
Fortunately for us next weeks game is at 16:30, we should be awake by then!

DoD - Wobbly for not being at the races.
MoM - Finley Bos for his 2nd half performance.