Saxons break through Police lines

Saturday evenings haven't felt so good in many a long while for South Saxons Hockey Club, who moved up to fourth in the table following their third win out of five matches.

Saxons started brightly and played what appears to be becoming their trademark hockey as swift interchanging of passes unlocked the Police defence on several occasions. And before long they had reaped the dividends of the patient, controlled hockey they were playing as Toby Reed made no mistake in slotting the ball home after his own shot had been saved.

Sussex Police are a tough side, though, and never looked like giving in. As Saxons drove at them, they countered and had opportunities to level but were thwarted by a stout defence and some solid goalkeeping by John Hinkley.

Having recognised the warning shots, Saxons stepped up a gear and doubled their lead when Reed fed the unmarked Billy Whizz who, with a deft touch, glanced the ball neatly passed the helpless goalkeeper.

Saxons were in command of the game but for some reason relaxed and allowed their opponents a lifeline. The tenacious Police side fought their way back into it from a short corner after a less than clean strike from the top of the D took a cruel bounce over the prone Hinkley.

Saxons were soon awoken by this setback, however, and once more they began to find their form. Tearing the Police apart along the right flank, Saxons could have gone three or four ahead but squandered too many chances until they finally struck again on the stroke of half time. John Morgan was the man on target this time, driving into the roof of the net via the goalkeeper's despairing hand from the top of the D.

Saxons entered the second half a man down as Reed's first half exuberance resulted in a yellow card prompting a Police surge. But despite the hosts' onslaught, Saxons still produced moments of quality and Whizz extended their lead by tapping home Pete Burton's looping shot.

The Police never seemed deterred and struck two unanswered goals to give Saxons a late scare but the Hastings side seems to have developed a new found resilience and held on to secure three valuable points.

Manor Insurance Services man of the match Dan Burnett said: "We came close to giving this game away. However, we have played better than this and lost, so we can be pleased that we are in such a strong position. Perhaps this signals a new strength to our team. We will certainly need a strong performance tomorrow (Saturday) as Burnt Ash are a good quality side."