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Posted by Joy on May 23, 2006, 2:32 pm For consistency, the preparations fell neatly in line with those experienced throughout the season ; no-one was at training, we didn’t have a coach, a few people went on holiday , at least 2 members of the team flew in from jet-setting for the game and Lou almost got injured again. However , with a full squad assembled for possibly the first time this year ( and for once - more natural tans than fake) and stand-in coach Steve relishing ( !) the prospect of a full 16 opinions on who and how we should play the girls took to the pitch in East Grinstead looking for cup glory . Despite some of the nerves in the side, the game started at a good pace with Hampstead dominating possession and territory for the first 25 minutes. Good work from Ange, Manny and Emma down the right led to a raft of opportunities however some errant final passes and some good saves by the Exeter keeper combined to keep Hampstead at bay. Ironically the breakthrough came from one of the scrappiest moves of the game however persisitent work from Janina and Liz brought rewards as Janina scored from close range.1-0. Strangely this goal seemed to settle Exeter more than HWHC and having had little defensive work to speak of in the first half , HWHC found themselves facing an Exeter short corner which was clinically despatched for 1-1. Hampstead pressed again however a quick counterattack from Exeter left an overload and Exeter were somehow 2-1 up going into half-time having had very little of the possession or chances. Experience is everything. And the experience of having been in control of a game yet behind is something Hampstead Ladies have plenty of. Hence half-time was a relatively calm affair. We reviewed the stats , possession and chances and agreed that patience and composure were all that was needed and our goals would come. And thankfully 5 minutes in they did. Some great work by Jones on the left put through Spanna who turned her marker and drilled a shot into the bottom corner. 2-2. 5 minutes later further good work on the baseline by Spanna allowed Manny a free shot however she was tackled illegally by an Exeter defender. Captain Kirschen made no mistake with the penalty stroke and we were ahead 3-2. Hampstead were now brimming with confidence with some excellent hockey being played almost solely in the Exeter half and a great individual effort from Kirschen made it 4-2. Credit to Exeter however as they began to throw people forward and Hampstead had to defend a number of short corners as they pressed for a lifeline. This came in the form of a well-hit shot which clattered the post and unfortunately rebounded off the back of Bettina’s legs into the goal for 4-3. However it was Hampstead who then took the initiative and almost immediately restored the 2 goal lead with Jo Schroder clinically dispensing a short corner for 5-3. Hampstead left the best move of the game till last with a fast attack over 75 yards through Jo, span and desiree allowed Des to make a cross field pass to an unmarked Sarah Jones who finished the game off in style. So a 6-3 victory. A huge thank you to all our supporters who stood out under the constant threat of rain to cheer us on. Well done to all players, this season has had its ups and downs however we can be proud of what we have achieved as a team for each other under some testing circumstances. We look forward to defending the Trophy next season and pushing for promotion….. (and sobering up…;-)
After 6 long weeks since the semi-final victory over Tulse Hill, the talking finally stopped ( or rather the Exeter website’s daily dose of obsessive over-enthusiasm) and the action finally began in the 2006 HA Trophy final.
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