Fylde 1XI 3-1 Clwb Hoci Eirias 1XI
North Hockey League Division 3
Fylde Men’s 1st team claimed their first 3 points of the season on Saturday, with a well deserved victory at home to Welsh side Eirias.
Fylde were up to full strength for the clash, with the return of Kristian Brandwood in midfield, and a debut for forward Sam Bury. However it was Eirias who took the lead midway through the first half, a well struck reverse hit catching Nigel Sadler by surprise at his near post. Fylde’s quality in attack was clear to see though, and it didn’t take long for them to equalise. James Oakes grabbed his first of the season, firing through the keeper and then jabbing over the line to make sure. Chances were a plenty, with Bury and the Payne brothers linking well up top, their pace far too quick for the Welsh opposition to handle. Josh Payne made it two, flicking high into the net from a penalty corner. HT 2-1
Fylde continued their pressure into the second half despite twice going down to ten men. Much of their attacking play came from their wing backs, with Oli Santamera regularly finding space on the right and man of the match Rob Jepson scoring the third from the left. His trademark driving run from the back, followed by a devastating strike low into the corner gave the keeper no chance and a much needed two goal cushion for the home side. Eirias had a chance to grab a goal back, which could of made the closing moments interesting, however Ian Swaine was well placed to save a high goal-bound flick on the line.
A good start to the season for Fylde, who will gain confidence from the improvements being made over the early weeks of the campaign. A tricky away fixture against City of Manchester awaits next week.
Keswick 2XI 6-0 Fylde 2XI
North West Hockey League Division 2 North
Fylde Mens 2XI made the 200 mile round trip to the Lake District to play Keswick in their second game of the season.
Despite the poor weather at Mill Farm, the skies cleared the further North we travelled and warm sunshine greeted us in Cockermouth. Taylor and Mortimer returned from holiday with Simpson unavailable in what was a mostly unchanged side from the previous week.
It didn’t take the home side long to open the scoring after an opening 15 minute spell mostly dominated by Fylde possession. Two further goals followed before half time with the fixture firmly in the hands of Keswick at 3-0.
The second half saw a mixture of possession with Walker, Sempers and Mortimer all coming close to putting Fylde back in the game. However, it wasn’t to be and the home team converted a further three more goals to win the game 6-0.
A disappointing and long day out for Fylde, but happy to get the longest away trip of the season out of the way in September. Thanks to Keswick for their superb hospitality and we look forward to hosting them at Mill Farm later in the season.
Fylde look to get back to winning ways with a home tie against Southport at Mill Farm pushing back at 1130.
West Derby 2XI 7-0 Fylde 3XI
North West Hockey League Division 3 North
Fylde 3s came into the match against West Derby 2s with high levels of optimism and hunger for a win to turn their form around, but it wasn't to be. The first half saw a strong 11 sided Derby team pressure Fylde continuously, playing on Fylde errors and closing down pitch space constantly to score 3 goals. Captain Ollie Holmes' team talk attempted to bring some hope to the team and try and channel a positive 2nd half performance, but it was Derby who again got the better of Fylde where they continued their strong attacks and high pressing, forcing even more errors to score 4 goals in the second half and finish the game 7-0.
It was a day to forget from Fylde. Man of the match Steve Pope was the stand out player, who tiresly made every effort to deny Derby attacks and was the key man in making the important tackles to stop the many attempts on goal.
Fylde 4XI
North West Hockey League Division 4 North North
No Game