MATCH REPORT

A switched home fixture against 2nd in the league Bury St Edmunds was the test for this Saturday, 4pm at Culford school deep in Thetford Forest. The late start helped the younger members of the team as they were able to get out of bed at their normal time for the weekend just in time for lunch!! With their tails up and wagging like 6-week-old puppies after 3 wins on the bounce, our team were ready. Sutton blitzed the BSE team from the start. Hassling, pressing, blocking and beating them out of possession, the high-flying BSE had no idea what was happening to them. It took only 8 minutes for the superiority to produce results. A quick free hit was won in the 23 which was driven the required 5m by Captain Bland who found Amber Jones marked heavily in the D. She immediately off loaded to Connie Gittins who slotted past the experienced and sharp keeper. Bury tried to gain some sort of foothold in the game but with constant substitutions and high energy levels, they found none. Lorraine Wallis did have work to do but nothing too troubling as everything was dealt with easily. 7 minutes later, a ball won in the centre of the park was threaded through to Amber Jones who laid off to Connie Gittins again. This time, with work to do, she lifted the ball past the remaining defender before calmly giving the keeper no chance for hers and the team's second goal. Bury really had no options and started getting niggly. This doesn't happen to the top teams! Our ladies continued hard but just couldn't find the third. This half of hockey was some of the best played by a Long Sutton Ladies 1st team in the view of a senior player……and that covers a few years! Half time consisted of drinks, oxygen and a quick chat about the intensity with which the rattled BSE team would hit us with in the second 35. It didn't take long. Both sides went out full pelt again with a slight change in formation for BSE. This enabled them to play higher and produce a few half chances early on. One of which, produced a goal mouth scramble which was only stopped by the foot of Tania White resulting in a penalty flick. Old adversaries. Who would blink? We were backing Lorraine Wallis to pull off the incredible however, it went to her right and into the corner with such accuracy that it was a sure-fire goal and she had no chance. Game on. The substitutions carried on with Hannah Baker returning to the side and running hard, creating space and slipped into the side again as with confidence. An injury to Jess Burton required a reshuffle but with the outstanding Jo Bland dropping back, the equilibrium returned. The second goal and equalizing goal was probably always going to come and midway through the half, a good move was finished. The game was there to be won and lost in the final period. Hannah Baker turned on the increasingly damp and greasy surface and came off, Jess Burton returned and for the last 8 or so minutes Bury were pushed back. Grit and determination from the whole LS team and crucial tackles from MOM, Maisie Sullivan and Lauren Cooper prevented the opposition from gaining the goal they so desperately sought. It ended up being a bit of an end to end battle as both teams went for the killer goal. Both sides had chances and Wallis made some great saves to keep the score deadlocked. The team put a marker down today of how well they can play. The togetherness of the best 13 the club has, is creating a halcyon period of hockey. Thanks to Coach Neil Evans and the girl's commitment to each other they played in such a way that all the senior players were waxing lyrical in the post-match team talk. The hard part now is to take this level as the new standard. If that happens then Christmas will come with another 6 points wrapped up with a bow. Captain Bland was rightly very proud of her team but the highest praise probably came from the opposition who were so impressed by the game and our players. Long Sutton Ladies 1's, you did you club proud today.