AEHC Match Reports 29.10.17

The Mens 1st XI made their way over to the Wirral for a mid-afternoon clash with Oxton 1s in the North Premier League. Edge have had mixed fortunes against Oxton in recent years and it was important for them to collect all three points to stay in league contention. It was a case of mission accomplished, Edge’s 3-1 win consolidating their position in the top half of the table. The game started with both sides enjoying spells of possession but it was Edge who broke the deadlock when a well-worked move down the left of the pitch ended up with Warburton’s shot on goal being deflected in by one of Oxton’s players. The hosts then came back into the game but were regularly thwarted by Edge’s defence, particularly goal keeper Sean Hadfield who made a string of fantastic saves to keep the score at 1-0. Edge doubled their lead just before half time when McCormick powered a shot past Oxton’s keeper. The second half began in a similar fashion with both sides creating chances and Hadfield again being forced to make some influential saves. Oxton did manage to get a goal back from a short corner before Edge sealed the win after Billy Headley latched onto a loose ball before it was ultimately bundled into the goal by Parker. The Men take on Formby away next weekend it what is set to be an influential match as Formby currently sit one place and one point ahead of Edge in the league. The Ladies 1s were the only Ladies team in action this weekend. All the Club’s other teams play in the Cheshire League which had no games this weekend. The 1s hosted Kirkby Stephen in the North Premier and earned themselves three points from a 3 -1 win in what turned out to be a feisty and physical game. Edge didn’t play their normal passing game in the first half and allowed Kirkby Stephen to dictate the tempo, although the game remained goalless going into the half time break. Edge came alive in the second half, the catalyst being when Sarah Hopkin took a run down the middle and passed to a sprinting Issy Reynolds-Duffy who managed to reach the D. After a goal mouth scramble, Amanda Bennison was able to open the scoring. Following her lead Nic Hall hit a rebound from the opposition’s goal keeper into the bottom right of the goal three minutes later. Kirkby Stephen replied from a short corner only for Man of the Match Lexi Archer to keep her cool and sink a penalty strike given after Liv Moores was taken out by the goalie. The Ladies will be hoping for another three points next weekend when they host struggling Kendal 1s. The Mens 2s put in their most complete performance of the season so far, putting bottom of the league Oxton 2s to the sword from the off in their North League division 2 clash. Charles Barnes dominated the midfield for Edge, feeding the ball forward time and again. Oxton held out with a packed defence until the 14th minute when Edge took the lead from a penalty corner dispatched by Chris Hardy. Jack Smith added another before half time, finishing off a good flowing move. Man of the Match Ed Fluck grabbed the third and Barnes added a penalty corner for number four. Other opportunities came and went, including a disallowed goal from Edge, before Fluck struck again to make the final score 5-0. The Mens 3s also enjoyed a win in North West division 3, defeating Timperley 3s 3-0. Edge’s team comprised a mixture of talented youngsters and more experienced players and, for the first time this season, they really gelled as a team, dominating the game with their quick, simple passing, high work rate and good decision making.   Edge’s hard work quickly paid off and they took the lead early in the first half when Man of The Match Adam Allmand-Smith controlled a wayward short corner injection and deposited the ball in the top left hand corner. Ethan Hadfield scored the second goal and Chris Ashton a well-deserved third to seal the three points although Timperley’s keeper was kept on his toes throughout. The Men return to the same pitch next Saturday to take top-of-the-table Timperley 2s. However, if Edge win they will take that position – no pressure then! The 4s held Bebington 2s, a team a couple of places higher than them in North West division 4, to a 3-3 draw, showing commitment and determination to come back from finding themselves 0-2 down early on. A well-taken Andy Jordan rebound from a short corner strike then halved Bebington's lead only for them to step it up again and promptly score themselves. However, some superb control from Man of the Match Rory Savin allowed Edge to create opportunities, one of which he capitalised on from a short corner. More control and quick passing enabled Edge to maintain their attack at a pace and a fantastic threaded ball from Dan Farer was well dispatched by Rob Marks to even the score and set up a tense last few minutes. Edge could have taken all three points had a last minute short corner gone in, however a point was very well deserved. The 5s faced Triton 2s away in division 5 and unfortunately lost 0-3.Triton started strongly and made it difficult for Edge to play as they would have liked, and they found themselves two goals adrift at half time. Edge played better in the second half and put Triton under more pressure and created more chances after taking the decision to push a defender higher. However they were unable to find the final touch and after Triton scored their third goal on the break the game was put of Edge’s reach. Man of the Match was shared by Ali Smith and Cubby Callaghan The Mens 6 also lost 5-1 against Bowdon 5s, no goal keeper hindering their cause despite Andy Middleton stepping in as a kicking back. The Beavers A didn’t have a game this weekend but the all-girl B team were on fine form, beating Northop Hall 7 – 1 at Kings Macc, four of those goals coming from Izzy Broadbent. The girls had their ‘game faces’ on from the outset and applied pressure all over the pitch, pressurising Northop into making errors whenever they were on the ball. This pressure paid off with two early short corners, both of which were smashed into the backboard by Georgie Offer. Edge went into half time 5-0 up and were slightly less focussed in the second half, a late goal from Northrop a good lesson in the perils of switching off. A fantastic result overall though.   The Beavers C had a much harder fought game against a well-drilled Preston team which comprised both boys and girls. The final score was 2-0 to Preston, but Edge fought hard and kept their heads up to the end. Goal keeper Ruby Ogden was awarded Man of the Match. The young and inexperienced Badgers lost out to a slightly older and more physically powerful Macclesfield side. Santi Houghton in goal made many fine saves and Conor Archer scored from fierce shot following up a penalty corner. There were good passages of play and some great passing moves but it was a physical mismatch on this occasion.