Lymm 9 - The double over Neston

At the beginning of the season mighty Lymm overcame Neston 1^st team in the Cheshire Cup. On Saturday Lymm welcomed back a young Neston team and the Lymm players expected a revenge attack and knew they would have their work cut out.

Neston began with a quick tempo and never allowed the Lymm team to settle. The midfield and forwards pressured the Neston players into mistakes and were rewarded with some realistic chances, however not managing to convert any. It was not until Ben H came of the bench that Lymm claimed first blood. A superb delivery from a free hit outside the area by Ben H left Andy H the opportunity to apply the most delicate of touches to place the ball in the right hand bottom corner leaving the goal keeper helpless.

The first goal initiated a goal rush. Lymm scored another 3 in quick succession. Two of those goals were added by Phill Griffiths, also celebrating his debut solo captaincy, from some fantastic passing moves around the defence and down the flanks.

Lymm were happy to end the firs half 4 – 0 up. However week after week Lymm have been known to take the foot off the gas. Yet again this happen, the passing stopped Lymm players’ heads were down and dribbling too far. Even with these mistakes and shabby hockey Lymm managed to score a couple more goals in quick succession Ben H, Andrew S and Richard A all on the score sheet.

Later on in the second half Lymm picked up their game and started showing the hockey that they know they can play and were rewarded with another goal this time from James G off a short corner. Debut captain, Phill Griffiths, managed to complete his hat-trick with some dubious selfish play, but no one was going to deny him his hat-trick to quill those pre-match jitters.

The game witnessed another game from Richard Cook, week by week Richard has gone from strength to strength. This week was one of his best performances Lymm have seen from Richard and hope that he can keep improving week on week. Utility player Rick B also gave a fantastic performance and demonstrated that he can play in the forwards, middle and the defence. However they were both beaten to Man of the Match Mark B, who never put one foot wrong and never let the one ball or player pass him

Over all Lymm played well enough to win but a more challenging side that takes more passing and inventive hockey will find it more difficult to pick up a victory.

The Train rolls on and on!

Neston 6^th 2-9 Lymm 2^nd

An early departure time caused some confusion amongst the ranks, and the advance party sped forwards. Battalion strength was finally gathered at a secret location, from where a convoy exploded onto the road network, the two larger vessels escorting the small, but potent secret weapon in a combat spread formation.

Passing all in its path, it seemed only moments before the airbrakes were deployed and landings were made, after the usual fly past, to join the full might of Lymm’s special forces brigade and prepare for battle.

Who knows whether it was treachery, or 5^th column intervention, but it wasn’t long before a very strange situation occurred, we were losing!!!. This only served to fan the flames, and El Capitan led from the front, drilling a shortie into the back of the net, and with this the floodgates opened!

Despite heavy pressure from the flanks, and some concerted breaks up the middle, Lymm kept countering well, and they were deadly on the break, Man of the Match Cooper seemed only to have to look at the ball in the D, and up it would pop, floating gently over the despairing keeper, and down into the net. Sticky kept up his run of form and added another to his growing total for the season, while the little whippersnapper Racey, could only watch in horror as he made a cardinal error for a Lymm player. (We all know that its pointless to hit a shot across Coopers bows, and expect it to go straight in?) Thanks Ollie! The disappointment showed in his young face, but he bravely soldiered on, and, at the death managed a goal all of his very own, well, the keeper did give it back to him after the first shot and say ‘have another go sonny’

So 9-2 and with Cooper ending the game at sweeper, ‘It’s the only way to stop him scoring’ said El capitan in an exclusive interview, ‘I’m considering playing him in full keeper kit next week, not in goal, but just in the kit to try and slow him down!’ and the result grudgingly accepted, TWO goals Martin??????? It was of to the usual level of hospitality offered at Parkgate, lashings of sandwiches, jugs of beer and good company, Jim’s fines were impressive, particularly David, who seemed to have left all his kit at the pitch, (careful Jim, it’s catching!!) and pretty soon it was time to return Lymmwards for a debrief, and prepare for the evenings entertainment!

Right, who’s next??