Intermediate Plate: Club KV 1-0 DLHC 1XI
Just two weeks after the league match between these two sides at the Dub, it was a return to the same venue for the 1XI of Donaghadee Ladies Hockey Club to play Club KV, this time in the Intermediate Plate, and again with a few players missing, they knew it would be a tough day.
Right from the first whistle the home team were on the attack and threatening the Dee circle, but some excellent defensive efforts kept them away from the goal, with Jodie Ingham making a welcome return to the heart of defence.
Five minutes in and KV won their first penalty corner of the day, blocked initially by a defensive foot. The retake was fired in and well saved by Dee keeper Nicola Patton only for a quick response from a home attacker to fire the rebound home.
Although KV had most of the possession the defensive work from Jodie and Hannah Younge – with Jan Morrow and Row Moore covering the wide areas – restricted them to just 2 shots – both wide of the goals – and Vicky O’Neill playing in front of the defence turned over the ball to set Helen Herron free to counterattack.
The attacking chances for Donaghadee were few and far between, despite the best efforts of Donaghadee’s front two Carolyn Scott and Kerrie Turtle who tried their best to split the KV defence.
There was more of the same in the second quarter, with Donaghadee working really hard to keep KV out – to some success: the home side were restricted to just fours shots, all off target, and Nicola being called into action to clear crosses rather than direct shots. So to half time and it remained 1-0.
A slight change for the second half saw Hannah and Vicky swapping positions as Donaghadee looked to secure attacking ball further up the pitch, but the overall game kept the same rhythm, with KV very much on the front foot in the warm conditions. Time and again however, the efforts of Donaghadee restricting KV to just a couple of shots.
One of the few Dee forays forward saw Hannah passing through a great ball to Jordan McWilliams in the middle of the pitch, but as she tried to find Kerrie running in on goal, the pass was intercepted and the chance went begging.
On another occasion, coming out from the back Jan and Katie McKee swapped passes on the right, but again the high defensive KV line got possession back for the home team.
With the defensive work from Donaghadee frustrating KV the home team resorted to firing a few long balls across the circle, and one deflection on to Dee foot to win a penalty corner but the Dee defence saw the ball to safety.
Into the final quarter and despite the onslaught from the home side the game was still wide open. The heat and the constant pressure were starting to tell but the Donaghadee players kept going, with Nicola making another couple of saves and the defence blocking and tackling as if their lives depended on it. When the final whistle blew it was a tight 1-0 win for the home side and they progress to the quarter final.
A superb defensive performance from the whole Donaghadee team, and ultimately without reward, but coach Willie McAdam was pleased with the overall effort and everyone playing their part in an improved performance on the previous outing. With congratulations to Helen Herron for her star performance in midfield, and thanks to Paula Bradshaw for umpiring duties.
The 1XI are back in league action on Saturday when they welcome Derg Valley to BGS, pass back 2.30pm and all support is warmly welcome!
Junior 9A: DLHC 2XI 2-1 Instonians
The 2XI were at home on Saturday for what was their final match of a short season. Their opponents, table-topping Instonians 3rds, arrived with an unblemished record of 100% league wins this season, and having been on the wrong end of a 5-0 drubbing in the reverse fixture, there was an air of trepidation among the Dee ladies as the match started.
In a throwback to the match at Shaw’s Bridge, Captain Floss Patton and her defenders had a sense of déjà vu as the match started with a series of penalty corners, but alongside keeper Janice McVeigh – between the posts in only her second game of the season and doing an exceptional job – they kept Inst. at bay on numerous occasions until a strong strike broke the deadlock at the sixth penalty corner attempt.
Rather than opening the floodgates however, the goal galvanised the Dee girls. Just before the end of the quarter, a midfield interception by Erin Hamilton set Tasha McGimpsey – returning for her first game post-maternity – away down the right wing. Her cross was met by Emily Morris in the circle, who showed both tenacity and skill to overcome two defenders and score with a reverse strike to level the scores at the end of the first quarter.
It was this fighting spirit that each and every Donaghadee player showed over and over again during the next two quarters. Johneena Brown, Anna Aitken and Caroline Davison hassled and harried players, giving the opposition no time to settle on the ball. Abbie Brown and Lauren Niblock showed their quality and versatility in both midfield and defence, and Laura Hamilton threw her body on the line (quite literally – knees, hands, head, you name it!) to block shots on goal. It remained 1-1 going into quarter four, with every Dee girl giving their all.
Sensing their perfect record was on the line, Instonians upped their game in the final quarter. Alongside Floss, Claire Horne and Lisa Higgins continued to show calm heads in defence, blocking numerous crosses and repeatedly clearing their lines until, with 10 minutes to go, Inst. were awarded a penalty corner. Despite the Dee’s best efforts, another clean strike hit the backboard and broke Dee hearts.
The game finished 2-1 to Instonians, but every player went home with their heads held high, proud of the collective team effort in their final game of the season which saw them finishing a superb fourth in the league.
Thanks go to Ruby Donaldson for helping out with umpiring duties, as well as to all those who have played, umpired, supported and coached this season.
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