West Bromwich Hockey Club News Articles http://www.westbromhc.co.uk West Bromwich Hockey Club News Articles 3rds defeated at Lichfield <p>West Brom unable to make an impact against a strong and youthful Lichfield side. </p> <p> </p> <p>The league leaders never stepped out of first gear and after a series of misplaced passes, found themselves 1-0 down in the early stages.</p> <p> </p> <p>West Brom stepped up fo find an equaliser through Wez Price. A strong hit into the D by Adeem Mir was turned in, at the far post by Price. </p> <p> </p> <p>Lichfield were a strong side and kept the visitors under pressure for most of the game. The West Brom defence stayed strong and managed to keep the score level until late in the second half.</p> <p> </p> <p>The visitors conceded from a questionable short corner and the home side were able to see out the rest of the rest of the game quite comfortably.</p> <p> </p> <p>Not the best game from West Brom today. The game was dominated by the opposition in midfield and they clearly wanted the result more.</p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the match - Adeem Mir. </p> <p>A good defensive performance and an assist for the full back.</p> Aidan Dowen Tue, 05 Mar 2019 08:44:41 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_defeated_at_lichfield http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_defeated_at_lichfield Stags defeat finches in bid for promotion <p>Following a disappointing result last time out, West Brom 3rds claimed victory against Finchfield 4ths, to get their promotion campaign back on track. </p> <p>West Brom made several changes to the team with Duncan Fellows, Tom Davies and Wez Price all returning, to strengthen the defence, midfield and attack respectively. The fixture also saw former player Wayne Thompson return to face his  old club. Thompson played the reverse fixture in West Brom colours, where both sides battled out an unusual 0-0 draw.</p> <p> </p> <p>With a point to prove against one of the top teams in the league, West Brom started off strongly. The home side got onto the score sheet within minutes of the pushback. The move started with a free hit in the right back position. Tom Davies drove forward and drilled the ball into the opponents D, where Mark Jones was in the right place at the right time to tuck the ball away. </p> <p> </p> <p>Finchfield responded well with some nice attacking hockey, their young forwards testing the home defence. The visitors were then awarded a short corner, after what can only be described as a moment of madness. Despite West Brom’s defensive composure, Wez Price deemed it necessary to chase down a player into his own D and attempt a wild tackle. The umpire pointed straight for a penalty corner and Price was fortunate that was all. The visitors capitalised from the corner and the two sides went into the break with the score level. </p> <p> </p> <p>In the second half West Brom picked up where they left off, playing good, passing hockey and defending extremely well. Tom Davies (usually a firm centre midfield favourite) found himself at full back and never looked out of place. With an assist in the first half from the right flank, he evened things up this half with an assist from the left. Taking the 16 yard hit, Davies had limited options. With a pinpoint pass he found Wez Price, in the centre circle. The club’s top goal scorer turned his marker, dribbled through the defence and lifted the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper. </p> <p> </p> <p>The goal came midway through the half and at 2-1 the game was still evenly matched. Finchfield piled on the pressure, searching for an equaliser but the home defence performed heroically. The whole team defended well as a unit and put the visitors under pressure, all over the pitch.</p> <p>The third and final goal came when Mark Jones put the Finchfield left-back under pressure, causing him to slip and lose possession. Jones then crossed the ball in to Pete Icke, who slipped the ball underneath the keeper. </p> <p> </p> <p>The game finished 3-1, in what was an evenly contested and enjoyable game. It was potentially the best performance by West Brom 3rds, this season. If they continue to play this well, promotion could be a distinct possibility. </p> <p> </p> <p>Both teams also paid their respects to former player and club member Amo Sian, who sadly passed away earlier this month. The teams honoured Amo with a minutes applause, prior to the push back.</p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the match - Tom Davies.</p> <p>A versatile player that can play well in any position required. Tom looked a natural full back today on both flanks and picked up two assists.</p> Aidan Dowen Tue, 12 Feb 2019 22:38:50 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/stagsdefeatfinches http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/stagsdefeatfinches 3rds defeated by Sutton 5ths <p>After news of cancellations across the leagues, the thirds game was the only club game to be played this weekend. West Brom travelled to Sutton Coldfield for the early afternoon pushback on what turned out to be a bright but cold afternoon.</p> <p> </p> <p>The stags started off on the front foot, scoring first through Mark Jones. Unfortunately West Brom couldn't keep the lead for long. Sutton put the visitors under pressure straight away and continued to do so throughout the half. Their goal came from a counter attack, leaving most of the visiting midfield in the opponents half. The West Brom defence were able to clear the initial threat, but the Sutton midfield were first to the loose ball. Despite a valiant, defensive effort from Adeem Mir, the ball looped up over Jules Frost and crept in under the crossbar.</p> <p> </p> <p>The visitors were unable to compose themselves again, before Sutton added a second and took the lead. A moment of madness occured, when a whistle from a nearby sports hall was heard. Two West Brom defenders stopped momentarilly, but the frosty pitch meant they were unable to recover, slipping on the surface and allowing the attacker through to score.</p> <p> </p> <p>West Brom changed things up in the second half, changing from a 4-5-1 to a 3-5-2. This allowed the Stags to compete in the middle of the park. However changing to a more attacking style and pressing up the pitch, allowed Sutton to break and score their third and final goal of the game.</p> <p>Sutton flooded their left flank, pushing men forward. The West Brom defence moved across to deal with the pressure, but were unable to pick up the attacker, making a run into the D. Both Dowen and Frost made a dash across to intercept the player but ended up colliding with each other, allowing a simple tap in goal.</p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the Match</p> <p>Neil Fellows - Performed well when asked to step in at centre back, last minute. He also made an impact in the second half, when he reverted back to his centre midfield role.</p> <p> </p> Aidan Dowen Fri, 08 Feb 2019 12:27:11 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_defeated_by_sutton_5ths http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_defeated_by_sutton_5ths West Brom 6 Old Wulfs 1 <p>Today West Brom hosted Old Wulfs 4ths, a team that they defeated 7-1 in the away fixture. The stags intended to build on their goal difference, in order to strengthen their position at the top of the table. </p> <p> </p> <p>Despite having a full strength squad at their disposal, West Brom couldn't get going and struggled to take their chances early on. It was well into the first half when Wez Price managed to work his way into the D and slip the ball under the off-balanced keeper. The Stags took the 1-0 lead into half time, but would need to step up a gear in order to secure the win.</p> <p> </p> <p>Pete Icke added the second goal shortly into the second half with a short corner goal that managed to creep past the keeper. Old Wulfs then responded with a short corner goal of their own. With a constantly changing side, the defensive responsibilities on short corners weren't consistent so the otherwise well-organised defence conceded their only goal of the game. </p> <p> </p> <p>Picking themselves up after the minor lapse in concentration, the Stags began adding to their goal tally. Chris Gatheridge up first to score a well worked individual effort. After collecting the ball inside the opponents 25, he turned a defender, made his way into the D and finished with a fine strike. Price soon added his second of the game to make it 4-1. </p> <p> </p> <p>Pete secured his second of the game with a nicely struck finish but was unable to complete his hat-trick shortly after, when he lifted the ball over the bar from close range. However a hat-trick was on the cards when Price lifted the ball into the net in what was an instinctive goal-poachers finish. The game finished West Brom 6 - Old Wulfs 1. The stags currently sit one point ahead Finchfield at the top of the table.</p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the match - Wez Price for his hat-trick.</p> Aidan Dowen Tue, 29 Jan 2019 20:13:22 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/west_brom_6_old_wulfs_1 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/west_brom_6_old_wulfs_1 3rds sink Aldridge and Walsall with 7 <p>The first league game of 2019 saw West Brom play home turf rivals, Aldridge &amp; Walsall. The two sides had yet to meet this season and the Stags were firm favourites against the team who are second from bottom in the league.  </p> <p> </p> <p>The ‘visitors’ took the lead early on through Mark Jones. The West Brom winger tucked the ball away neatly at the back post, after a cross by Jack Reeves.</p> <p>Despite dominating play and pressing high up the pitch, West Brom were unable to add to their lead until late in the first half.</p> <p> </p> <p>Chris Gatheridge doubled the lead, when he carried the ball forward from midfield, taking his goal well. Shabbar Butt then closed the first half scoring with a strong strike from the top of the D, after a well worked build-up. West Brom went into the break 0-3 up, but never really stepped out of first gear. The Stags looked comfortable at this stage, having seen out the opening 35 minutes without having to deal with a shot on goal. </p> <p> </p> <p>The second half continued in the same fashion. West Brom dominated the game at a casual pace. Whatever possession Aldridge &amp; Walsall had, was dealt with comfortably by the West Brom defenders.</p> <p>Jones then added his second of the game with an acrobatic finish, leaping forward to tap the ball in at close range. </p> <p> </p> <p>The score remained 0-4 until the last 15 minutes of the game, when Neil Fellows threw an aerial ball forward, splitting the defence. Jack Reeves took the ball down well and ran at the defence, creating a 2-on-2 situation. Reeves slipped the pass through to Pete Icke, who instinctively finished to make the score 0-5.</p> <p> </p> <p>The floodgates has well and truly opened and the Stags rounded off the afternoon with a short corner goal by Kuldip Randhawa and a skilful reverse strike by Jack Reeves. </p> <p> </p> <p>0-7 A comfortable result against a considerably weaker side. Other than a couple of short corner routines, Aldridge &amp; Walsall didn’t threaten the West Brom Goal all game. In hindsight the score could have been double figures if the visitors had been more clinical in front of goal. </p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the match - Mark Jones, played well and contributed to the result with a brace from the left wing, including his acrobatic attempt for the 2nd goal.</p> <p> </p> Aidan Dowen Tue, 15 Jan 2019 21:35:27 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_sink_aldridge_and_walsall_with_7 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_sink_aldridge_and_walsall_with_7 3rds victorious in post-Christmas friendly <p> </p> <p>West Brom were hosts to Streetly, in the first fixture of 2019. The home side started off strongly creating several chances, early on. Wez Price, Jack Reeves and Yash Jiwa all left frustrated by the young, Streetly goalkeeper.</p> <p> </p> <p>It wasn’t long before the opening goal and it was the visitors who were first on the scoresheet, against the run of play. Awarded with a penalty corner, Streetly capitalised on a well worked routine to beat both Frost and Dowen inside the left-hand post.</p> <p> </p> <p>West Brom quickly dusted themselves off and continued to play with the same intensity. Mark Jones impressing with his forward runs from the full-back position, to support the attackers. The stags equalised in timely fashion, before the break. Kuldip Randhawa forcing the visiting keeper into a save, where it fell to Price who ‘fizzed’ in the rebound.</p> <p>With the half time whistle imminent, West Brom went into the break level, despite having more shots on goal.  </p> <p> </p> <p>Both sides came alive in the second half, having shaken off the rust and stepped up a gear. Streetly played with two strikers up high, who seemed more interested in fancy flicks to try and break down the West Brom defence. Having had 35 minutes to settle into the game, Duncan Fellows and Aidan Dowen were as solid as ever. The latter straying into unfamiliar territory with an uncharacteristic run, out from his own D and up the right flank.  </p> <p> </p> <p>Chris Gatheridge capped off a fine midfield performance, with a goal which put the home side in the lead. Finding himself at the top of the opponents D, with his back to goal. Gatheridge struck the ball cleanly, on the turn, giving the Streetly keeper no time to react. </p> <p> </p> <p>West Brom continued to press forward, looking to add to their tally. However, committing men forward opened them up to the counter attack. The visitors finally broke through the West Brom defence and managed to square the ball across the D, for a simple tap in.  </p> <p> </p> <p>In what was a competitive, end-to-end game, a draw looked to be on the cards. However, Wez Price was on hand to reclaim the lead. The West Brom forward allowed the ball to come across his body, controlled it well, and struck it cleanly to score his thirteenth goal of the season.</p> <p> </p> <p>The stags then seemed happy to play down the clock. The defence continued to hold strong and midfielder Tom Davies dropped deep, to deal with anything that got past the experienced centre backs. </p> <p> </p> <p>3-2, A good result for the first outing after Christmas. Every player can be proud of their performance today, a true team effort. </p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the match: Mackenzie Porter.</p> <p>A strong, confident performance from the youngster who played all game at full-back. Always looking to receive the ball and remaining calm under pressure.</p> <p> </p> Aidan Dowen Sun, 06 Jan 2019 21:29:13 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_victorious_in_postchristmas_friendly_ http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_victorious_in_postchristmas_friendly_ 3rds win at Market Drayton <p>Despite midweek fears of a player shortage, West Brom scraped together a side and traveled to Market Drayton for what was to be an emphasising victory.</p> <p>With six of the regulars absent, the travelling stags recruited Will Howl from the badgers, recalled Wez Price from injury and Wayne Thompson returned for his third and possibly final appearance of the season. </p> <p>The visiting side started the game strongly, with good attacking intent but it was the home team who scored first, against the run of play. A short corner routine managed to sneak past Jules Frost on his right hand side. West Brom didn’t allow this to disrupt their tempo. They continued to exploit the wings and soon found the equaliser through Wez Price. The ball was crossed in from the left, Josh Dowen flicked the ball on to Wez who drilled the ball in low and hard, to the keepers right. </p> <p>West Brom continued to threaten Market Drayton’s goal, scoring twice more only to have both goals disallowed. One of which, Josh Dowen hit the backboard, literally a second after the whistle was blown. The visitors continued to pile on the pressure and eventually took the lead when Mark Jones latched onto a loose ball in the D, to secure the lead going into the break.</p> <p>After a chance to recompose themselves, West Brom came out in the second half with all guns blazing. Wez Price found the net with a trademark individual effort. Twisting and turning past two defenders on the top of the D, and smashing it into the bottom left corner.</p> <p>The visitors added their fourth from a short corner routine. Price took the shot, which was palmed out high by the keeper. Tom Davies picked the ball out of the air and hit it back into the D. Jones was once again in the right place at the right time, to double his tally and provide an encore of his emphatic celebration. </p> <p>Market Drayton hit back once again, with a short corner of their own. A misunderstanding amongst the defence, allowed the home side to fire the ball underneath Jules Frost for the second time today. </p> <p>West Brom ended any indication of a Market Drayton comeback with a late flurry of goals. Wez Price opened the floodgates, completing his hat-trick with a direct strike from another short corner. </p> <p>Callum Taylor added his name to the score sheet, with the best move of the game. Josh Dowen took a self passed free hit, catching the defender off guard. He passed the ball inside to Davies, who found himself free on the top of the D. A first time pass found Shabbar Butt, who instinctively played the ball across the face of goal with a sweet reverse stick pass. Callum was then on hand at the back post, to sweep the ball into the net and take the visitors’ tally to six.</p> <p>Tom Davies put in a shift today in midfield,   Playing in a more attacking role and capped his performance off with a goal. The visitors mixed things up with an alternative short corner routine, playing the ball to Davies who struck the ball low and hard to beat the keeper. </p> <p>The final goal of the game came after some link up play between Dowen and Davies, to get the ball into the opposition D. A jab tackle knocked the ball free only for Callum to slap the ball home from the penalty spot. </p> <p>A positive performance all round today against a younger inexperienced side. Will Howl had a promising debut, making some key tackles late on in the game. Mark Jones claiming a starting spot on the left wing, after scoring twice and Wayne Thompson providing that solid holding role, in the middle of the pitch. </p> <p>However man of the match had to be Wez Price for an impressive hat-trick on his return from injury, after 5 weeks on the sidelines </p> <p> </p> Aidan Dowen Mon, 19 Nov 2018 19:51:08 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_win_at_market_drayton http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/3rds_win_at_market_drayton Stalemate at Aston <p>Team inconsistencies caused havok as second placed West Brom hosted third place Lichfield. The home side were once again missing several key players as they faced off against fellow poromotion candidates, Lichfield 5ths. With skipper, Josh Dowen absent this week, responsibilities fell to brother, Aidan to rally the stags to deliver the result. Disaster struck early as a disorganised West Brom conceeded more-or-less from the push back. A direct ball through middle, caught out both the defence and the goalkeeper. The visitors were ahead.    </p> <p> </p> <p>The inital game plan was scrapped and players were reverted back to more familiar positions. Despite their best efforts West Brom struggled to create chances and were often caught in possession. The home side never really seemed to step out of 1st gear and  continued to be their own worst enemy. Eventually Their luck changed and a penalty corner saw the stags equalise. A standard short corner routine, found Pete Icke at the top of the D, who slipped it to Jack Reeves to flick the ball past the oposition goalkeeper. The equaliser changed the momentum of the game, but unfortunatley the half-time whistle came before another goal and the sides went into the break tied at 1-1.</p> <p> </p> <p>The home side looked more assertive after the break, showing a bit more fight and the urgency that was so often lacking in the first 35 minutes. Unfortunatley a poor pass, gifted Lichfield the ball with the space to run into the D and put the visitors back in front. The game proved to be tough without the players to link up play between the defence and attack and frustration began to show amongst the West Brom players. However luck shone in their favour once more when Pete Icke found himself with space in the oposition D. On the turn he struck the ball cleanly, to beat the keeper bottom corner. </p> <p> </p> <p>With ten minutes remaining, both sides seemed content to see the game out, although the home side were granted one last oportunity on goal. Jack Reeves carried the ball forward on the left flank, running at his defender. When his marker slipped on the astroturf, Jack kept his composure and drove into the D. He found Pete on the penalty spot, who unfortunaltey couldn't get the shot out from under his feet.</p> <p>A missed oportunity to take all 3 points, but a result Lichfield wouldn't have deserved. A point each at the end of the game rounded off a fairly contested game. </p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the match </p> <p>Pete Icke - An assist and a goal for the West Brom forward. (Keeping quiet about the chance in the dying minutes.)</p> Aidan Dowen Wed, 14 Nov 2018 21:41:11 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/stalemate_at_aston http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/stalemate_at_aston Bridgnorth stun 3rds with late goal. <p>The weekends late fixture saw the thirds made the long journey to Bridgnorth, for a dark and drizzly, floodlit encounter. </p> <p> </p> <p>Whilst missing the Fellows brothers, West Brom saw the return of Jules Frost, Mark Jones and Wayne Thompson to field a more than capable side. The visitors started off the stronger team, playing some nice passing hockey. Jack Reeves and Josh Dowen caused problems down the flanks, running at defenders but were not to be able to provide that final ball. </p> <p> </p> <p>It wasn’t long before the away team threatened the Bridgnorth goal, creating possibly their best chance of the game. Dowen charged forward on the left-hand side and drilled a cross into the D, to find Pete Icke. The home keeper saved the initial shot, followed by the rebound from the oncoming Dowen. The experienced goalkeeper managed to pull off the triple save, palming away a flicked effort from Jack Reeves. </p> <p> </p> <p>Bridgnorth also created chances in the first half, forcing Jules Frost into action to keep the score at 0-0. Josh Dowen had an opportunity late on in the half, when he broke through the middle, only to be brought down inside the opponents 25. However nothing came of this and the teams went into half time with the scores level. </p> <p> </p> <p>Both sides showed the same attacking intensity in the second half, pushing forward eager for that first goal. It proved to be an end to end game with both sets of defenders coming out on top. </p> <p>West Brom managed to create some chances throughout the second half but due to some acrobatic defending and the superb form of the goalkeeper, the visitors were unable to capitalise.</p> <p> </p> <p>As the game progressed it looked as though it was going to be another 0-0 stalemate. However a spell of Bridgnorth pressure gained them possession in the middle of the pitch and they managed to punch their way through to score the games only goal. With a mere 3 minutes left on the clock, the visitors were unable to mount a comeback and were left ruing their missed chances. </p> <p> </p> <p>Man of the match: Jack Reeves, for an attacking performance that showed promise and signs of development as a player. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> Aidan Dowen Sun, 04 Nov 2018 18:20:09 +0000 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/brignorth_5_wb3 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/brignorth_5_wb3 Great Display Again From Ladies For 2-0 Win <p><strong>Saturday 20th October: Ladies 1st - </strong>West Brom 2 - 0 Cannock 4s</p> <p>We started off very strong good organisation throughout the team. Ball got played up to the attackers Lucy went past a few players and scored. The ball was very back and forward. Then some good play from West Brom saw Lucy fire in a cross and Hannah slotted the ball in to make it 2-0.</p> <p>West Brom was denied a third goal when sorrell took a shot and a cannock defender went to catch the ball. West Brom went into half time 2-0 up.</p> <p>Second half only seemed to be a few chances. Cannock was pushing to try and score. They were trying to counter attack. But great defensive play from the whole of west Brom kept them out. Cannock's best chances were from their short corners but great defensive play from West Brom kept them out.</p> <p>A great display again from the ladies winning 2-0.</p> <p>Welcome to our new player Gemma, and also to Ellie who plays in the badgers who had her first action in the ladies team. The opposition voted Tori player of the match and West Brom's player of the match was very evenly spread out with three players getting player of the match tori, Becky Lowe and Hannah.</p> Steve Bavington Fri, 26 Oct 2018 23:14:57 +0100 http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/great_display_again_from_ladies_for_20_win_ http://www.westbromhc.co.uk/news/great_display_again_from_ladies_for_20_win_