Men's 1st Team Vs Droitwich

Yardley 2, Droitwich 1.

Thirteen finally proved to be a lucky number for Yardley as they overcame a Droitwich side also struggling near the foot of the Warwick Printing Hockey League West Midlands Division 1 table as the hosts registered their first league win of the season.

The possibility of Yardley putting points on the board at last seemed to create a tense atmosphere as Droitwich pressed forward in the early stages and won a number of penalty corners. Neal Makepeace’s excellent goalkeeping helped Yardley survive the onslaught and the game settled down to a more even contest with Droitwich having more of the ball but Yardley having the best chances. And after twenty five minutes it was the home side who took the lead when Rob McGuigan found Noor Zaman free in the Droitwich circle and the Yardley striker drove the ball cleanly into the Droitwich net.

After half time Yardley played much better hockey and began to put the Droitwich midfield under pressure as the home side took the initiative in looking for the all important second goal. The Droitwich back line thwarted a number of dangerous Yardley attacks but finally Munib Altaf made the score 2-0 with a shot that eluded the visitors’ goalkeeper.

The prospect of getting a first win seemed to mark the return to the nervous play that had Yardley on the back foot as Droitwich finally began to threaten their goal. Neal Makepeace was again often in action as Yardley just managed to hold on to their lead as their back line was forced in to a number of last ditch clearances. But as the minutes ticked away it seemed Yardley were home and dry despite Droitwich scoring from a penalty corner with the last shot of the match.

This week Yardley face the somewhat daunting task of visiting the league leaders Old Wulfrunians.

Report complied by Chris Wadhams