Penarth Hockey Club 1sts topple league leaders

Meanwhile, the remaining sides were all in action at Stanwell school, looking to consolidate their respective positions in De Cymru 1 and De Cymru 3.

Robinsons A 3 - Penarth 6

With a week to reflect on the trip to Firebrands, Penarth returned to Bristol in determined mood and looking to make amends as they viewed top-of-the-table Robinsons as the perfect opportunity to remind the league that they were the team to beat.

The pre-match talk focused on work-rate, intensity and game management and these words clearly struck a chord with the wounded Bears, who came flying out of the traps like never before.

As the visitors put on a dazzling display of counter-attacking hockey, with the attacking quartet of Chris Baker, Andrew Willemite, Tim Urlings and Jack Jopson proving to hot to handle, Robinsons froze in the sub-zero conditions.

After scoring with the first attack of the game - as Urlings grabbed himself a first goal for the club - the Bears never looked back, adding to their tally with what seemed like every attack, eventually rattling in a quick-fire five goals in less than 15 minutes.

Urlings wrapped up his hat-trick and the man-of-the-match award inside the first 10 minutes, while Baker finished off another fine counter to take himself to 10 goals for the season and Willemite chipped in with customary - and well-deserved - first time deflection at the back post following a well worked corner routine.

After their blistering start, however, Penarth began to slow as they took their foot off the pedal and this allowed Robinsons to grab a foothold in the game.

Duly reminding Penarth why they were top of the league, the home side proceeded to score quick goals of their own, first via an unfortunate deflection from a Penarth stick that wrong-footed goalkeeper Adam Putt, and then following a skilful run into the 'D' that resulted in a low reverse stick shot that gave the Bears something to think about at half-time.

After a chance to refocus, Penarth took control once more, creating chances at will and drawing several smart saves and goal-line clearances that prevented a second goal-rush from materialising.

With time running out, however, the Welsh side still held the upper hand at 5 - 2, but Robinsons refused to give in and were rewarded for their efforts with a late consolation goal. Penarth, too, were not done, however, and saved their best for last.

With the clock ticking down, captain Tom Haran took a self pass from the sideline before playing a lovely aerial one-two with Phil Lane.

Receiving the return ball, the skipper then beat the first defender through his legs, picked the ball up on his reverse stick, weaved through another two defenders before peeling strong into the ‘D’ and smashing his effort low into the bottom corner.

The final scoreline underlined perhaps the team’s best performance of the year, notable when their backs were up against the wall.

With the top teams threatening to pull away before the break, the Bears came out fighting and were rewarded with a big three points to put themselves back within two of top spot.

Goalscorers: Tim Urlings (3), Andrew Willemite, Chris Baker, Tom Haran

Firebrands A 4 - Penarth 3

One week prior to the Robinsons encounter, Penarth had taken a strong team to face fourth-placed Firebrands, welcoming Dutch export Urlings after completing his mid-season transfer in the nick of time.

This time, however, the Bears were second best out of the blocks, allowing the home team to take an early lead after only a few minutes of play as a clever dummy by the Firebrands forward allowed the ball to run through his legs, wrong-footing the Penarth defence and leaving his strike partner unmarked to sweep home, giving goalkeeper Simon Comfort no chance.

Not used to conceding early and finding themselves in unfamiliar circumstances, Penarth were guilty of forcing the play in an effort to chase a quick equaliser, and this played into Firebrands’ hands.

The home side were clearly content to sit and defend their one-goal advantage, forcing the visitors to adopt a more patient approach to grind down their resilient and well-disciplined hosts.

The measured approach began to pay off midway through the half, and saw them start to control proceedings as they worked the ball around the back and through midfield. Openings were at a premium, however, and Penarth’s best chance of the half came as Baker drove powerfully into the 'D' only to see his reverse stick shot fly past the post, just out of reach of the outstretched Willemite.

The second half continued in much the same manner, with the Vale side enjoying more possession and territory, but failing to make inroads against a resolute defence.

Against the run of play, it was Firebrands who grab the next goal, hitting Penarth on the counter-attack before adding a quick-fire that looked certain to guarantee all three points with only 10 minutes left.

Three down and with nothing to lose, Penarth threw caution to the wind and mounted an all-out assault on the Firebrands goal in an attempt to rescue the game. The policy paid dividends almost immediately as Laith El Khatib dispatched a drag flick from the top of the circle.

Pressing the home team aggressively, player/coach Tyrone Moore dispossessed his opponent from a 16-yard hit out and found Khatib one-on-one with the ‘keeper.

When last year’s leading scorer made no mistake from close range, Firebrands were reeling even before Penarth’s never-say-die attitude saw them draw level just minutes later, Joe Thomas netting at the back post following a goalmouth scramble.

The improbable comeback was not to have a happy ending for the Welsh side, however, as poor game management saw Penarth try to dribble out of their own end in an attempt to launch a final attack.

The ball was turned over, leading to a contentious penalty corner that was put away with the last stroke of the game to leave the final score 4 - 3 to Firebrands and Penarth inconsolable.

Goalscorers: Laith El Khatib (2), Joe Thomas

Penarth A 4 - Swansea University B 4

Penarth’s 2nd XI came into their final home game of 2016 looking to continue an impressive winning streak, but mindful that extremely unpredictable opponents could prove to be a handful.

The home side started well, however, and, as has become typical of their play this season, quickly pressed the university side into committing turnovers deep in their own half.

The pressure paid off after 15 minutes, as an excellent build-up from Tom Parkinson won a penalty corner before Sam Salisbury showed excellent composure to find Sam Chick, who slapped the ball home.

The Bears then doubled their lead shortly afterwards, this time as a pin-point pass from Sam Docherty split the defence and found James Kidby in the ‘D’. Kidby’s attempted lob was half-saved by the ‘keeper, but fell to Chick, who was on hand to volley home the rebound.

At 2 - 0, the Bears appeared to take their foot off the gas, allowing the students back into the game, and several breaks were only broken down by some superb last-ditch defence by Jamie Davison and Craig Llewellyn.

The students eventually pulled a goal back late in the half, but this only sparked the home side back into action and, on the stroke of half-time, the two-goal cushion was restored as Chick completed his hat-trick by forcing the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble.

Despite now being 3 - 1 to the good, the Bears knew that the next goal would once again prove crucial but, unfortunately, within minutes of the restart, the students had a foothold once more, as Penarth gave the ball away cheaply in their own half, prompting a quick break by the students, which was finished off at the back post.

Once again, Penarth struck back hard and fast, with Kidby picking the ball up on halfway and driving goalwards, beating two defenders and the ‘keeper on his way to scoring a superb individual goal, but restoring the two-goal advantage only seemed to spur the students to greater efforts.

With Penarth guilty of turning the ball over too quickly, it allowed the students to gradually dominate possession, and the pressure eventually paid off as they halved the deficit with 15 minutes left on the clock.

Penarth again pressed to restore their lead, but were guilty of wasting several chances, as poor decision-making in the ‘D’ saw promising attacks break down without really testing the Swansea ‘keeper.

The home side were then made to pay for the missed opportunities as the university grabbed an equaliser with only minutes to go, goalkeeper Comfort making a sprawling save only to see the rebound forced home from a narrow angle.

Ultimately, it was two points dropped for Penarth but, with the top two in De Cymru 1 also drawing games, the result kept the Vale side within touching distance of the promotion places.

Goalscorers: Sam Chick (3), James Kidby

Penarth B 5 - Penarth C 2

Following the 2nd XI game, Stanwell played host to the second Penarth derby of the season, with the 3rds taking on the Fourths in De Cymru 3.

As with the first encounter, the 3rds started the stronger but, this time, by playing some of their best hockey of the season, they went 3 - 0 up within seven minutes.

Good quick passing and movement resulted in two well-taken goals from Dave Thomas and another from Dave Watkins, and a one-sided affair looked on the cards before the 4ths gradually brought themselves back into the game.

Although the 3rds’ domination continued for a while, no further goals followed, despite the returning Richard Skone the hitting the post, and the 4ths began to retain more midfield possession, with Ifty Khan and Adam Morse controlling things before a smart finish from Marc Sawyer made the score 3 - 1 approaching half-time.

Just as the 3rds looked set to face a nervous second half, however, another goal from Watkins – on the last attack of the half - gave the 3rds their three-goal cushion back going into the interval.

The second half produced far fewer chances, with the teams sharing both possession and territory.

Another well taken goal from the unmarked Sawyer – supplied by Nick Pratt’s quick thinking - briefly gave the 4ths hope and, indeed, from then on, they looked like the most likely team to score next, especially after one too many combative tackles from Nathan Townsend ended with a yellow card, reducing the 3rds to 10 men.

The game was eventually settled a couple of minutes from the end, however, as converted sweeper Matt Birch latched on to a loose ball in the 4ths’ ‘D’, before firing home to make the final score a slightly flattering 5 - 2 to the 3rds.

Goalscorers:

Penarth B: Dave Thomas (2), Dave Watkins (2), Matt Birch

Penarth C: Marc Sawyer (2)

All four Penarth sides will be in league action this weekend, with the 1st XI returning home to host mid-table Yate at Stanwell school (1.45pm start). The 2nds travel to second-placed Bridgend knowing a victory will see them leapfrog their opposition into the promotion places before the Christmas break, while the 3rds head west to Swansea for a late morning start against the city’s team. The 4th XI, meanwhile, provide the opening act for the senior side as they entertain table-topping Swansea University (noon start).

Penarth Hockey Club always welcomes new, old and returning players, umpires, supporters, friends and helpers regardless of age and ability. When the regular season resumes, training will take place on Wednesdays at Stanwell School, with the juniors on the pitch between 6.15pm and 7.15pm and the seniors between 7pm and 8.15pm.

Anyone interested in joining the club at senior or youth level can contactclub secretary Dave Stevens (d_stevens81@hotmail.co.uk) for further information.