MEN’S 1ST XI
Words: Dan Mees
Oppo: Sittingbourne 2, Home
Final Score: D 3-3
Goalscorers: Jack Field, Dan Vinson, Josh Tutton
Cliftonville Men’s 1s took to the pitch under the lights against Sittingbourne in what turned out to be a thriller.
For the first time this season, Ville found themselves 2–0 down, the second goal a well-placed reverse into the roof of the net that left the home crowd stunned. But they weren’t down for long. Jack Field produced a moment of magic, squeezing along the baseline and somehow sneaking the ball past the Sittingbourne keeper to halve the deficit. Despite trailing at the break, Ville had created more opportunities than their visitors and knew the game was far from over.
The second half began with Cliftonville pressing hard, fizzing balls across the D but struggling to find the finishing touch. Eventually, the equaliser came through a well-worked short corner, Dan Vinson deflecting past the keeper to make it 2–2. With momentum swinging, Ville pushed for the lead, Josh Tutton rattling the crossbar in agonising fashion.
Sittingbourne responded with a counterattack that led to a short corner and a goal, restoring their advantage. Once again behind, Ville mounted relentless pressure, Dilkes bossing the midfield and the forward trio keeping Sittingbourne penned in. Centre-back Cowelly then stepped up, driving into the D and firing a ball across goal for Josh Tutton to finish emphatically into the backboard. 3–3.
The final ten minutes saw Cliftonville throw everything forward in search of a winner, but Sittingbourne’s defence held firm. At full time, the points were shared in a pulsating contest that showed Ville’s resilience and fighting spirit.
WOMEN’S 1ST XI
Words: Harriet Westby
Oppo: Gravesend 1, Away
What a game! A 5-2 win against Gravesend proving yet again why we are fighting it out for top of the league. Gravesend were a cracking team who put us under pressure right from the get go. We went 1-0 down in the first three minutes and were definitely on the back foot. We slowly eased into the game but certainly weren’t playing our best hockey. We put the opposition under extreme pressure barely leaving their half and finally brought it back to 1-1 with a stunning goal from Lucie. The final 15 minutes of the first half were hard, Gravesend were peppering balls through our midfield and had several shots in the D. A huge defensive effort and some great goalkeeping from Emmelia held out. Only to unfortunately give away a short corner in the last minute. We then went 2-1 down just on the half time whistle.
A hard half time talk from the Captain encouraging us to play like we have all season previously clearly worked as we started the second half with grit and determination. Lucie scored another cracking goal to bring us back to 2-2. Filling the team with confidence we were back to our normal selves as Marnie scored only three minutes later to put us into the lead for the first time in the game.
The game started getting somewhat heated as the pressure was on for both teams! After several stick tackles and a few arguments, we pulled away and Jen scored to put us 4-2 in the lead. Enjoying ourselves and relaxing somewhat as the pressure was lessening Marnie scored her second goal of the day to seal the win! We made it hard work for ourselves but got the right result in the end! Man of the match went to Marnie for a great game and two goals. Unfortunately, she was also awarded donkey of the day for moulding her newly bought mouthguard in the Gravesend clubhouse!
MEN’S 2ND XI
Words: James Perks
Oppo Old Williamsonian 4, Away
Final Score: W 3-1
Goalscorers: James Perks (2), Simon Hooper.
A great win last week against the league leaders was in the past, this time we faced bottom of the league Old Williamsonians. An interesting affair it would turn out to be! Ville took the lead after 5 minutes from a short corner, Perks slotting home from the top of the D – 1-0 Ville. 10 minutes later Ville won their second penalty corner of the afternoon. Same move, same result, Perks made it 2-0. A few minutes later after a clear foul on JB, their umpire awarded it the other way. The skipper went to have a chat with their umpire and was shown his first card of the afternoon for ‘swearing at the umpire’ which incensed him even more as he hadn’t done so.
Half time arrived and Ville were 2 up. Not quite the same level of hockey that we had played last week against the league leaders but a lead nonetheless. Discipline would be key as we knew the umpires were going to be very happy to dish out more cards. Old Willy’s did manage to score one goal at the back post to claw it back to 2-1. Ville were down to 9 for a short period after the skipper picked up his 2nd card of the game and Westie soon followed.
Once we were back to our full complement, we managed to put the game to bed when Seb, who clearly saw the run of Simon at the far post, slotted across the face of goal and Simon duly did the rest with a reverse stick shot past the keeper. 3-1. Perks and Simon also found themselves being shown cards before the end of the game.
We hung on and ran out 3-1 winners.
A game that had it all and summed up below:
12 players travelled
11 players started
10 players finished
9 played for a while
8 scotch eggs
7 sausage rolls
6 jam tarts
5 cards were shown
4 players carded
3 Ville goals
2 [redacted] umpires
1 win and a very satisfying 3 points gained.
MOTM – Tom Cawdron – first game of the season and he was a rock at the back. Great in the tackle, superb distribution and dealt with every aerial they threw for the whole game.
DOD – Captain JB. For someone who is usually the calmest player on the pitch, he found himself carded, not once but twice today.
WOMEN’S 2ND XI
Words: Rachael Ruocco-Buchanan
Oppo: Canterbury 5, Home
The Women’s 2s took on a well-drilled, mid-table Canterbury side this week, a squad boasting both seasoned experience and lively emerging talent.
From the first whistle, Ville rose to the challenge, showing real cohesion, work rate and commitment across the pitch. Ville started strongly, linking up well in transition and putting together several promising counterattacks. A near miss and a couple of unconverted short corners kept the pressure on Canterbury, while at the other end the defensive unit stood firm, repeatedly shutting down their opponents’ advances. Despite a couple of players carrying injuries, and others stepping into unfamiliar positions, the team adapted superbly to the demands of the game.
The sides went into half time locked at 0–0, with a positive and focused team talk fueling a determined second-half performance. Ville continued to match Canterbury stride for stride, maintaining control at the back and creating positive attacking moments right up to the final whistle. The match ended 0–0, a fair result and a testament to a solid defensive display against quality opposition.
Special mentions go to Player of the Match, Julie Cobb, for her composure and consistency throughout, and to Freiya Darrington, who delivered an outstanding performance in her first league match, the first of many to come.
With an away fixture against league leaders Marden Russets next week, a sharp and focused Wednesday training session awaits the team as they look to build on this strong performance.
MEN’S 3RD XI
Words: Fin Minson
Oppo: K-Sport 3 Development, Home
Final Score W 4-0
Goalscorers: Dylan Walker (2), Alex Austerberry, Noah Soames
Off the back of 4 wins on the trot, Ville were timidly confident of a win against mid-table outfit K Sports Cobdown. As the 16-strong side headed onto the sand pitch, we began our pre-match preparations against a noticeably smaller Cobdown side. Just before pushback, Aron pulled us in for a quick team talk, calling for more of the same continuity that had flowed freely in our previous fixtures.
As we lined up against our opposition, we were straight out of the blocks, with plenty of neat runs both up the wings and through the middle, pressuring Cobdown from the get-go. A mere 15 minutes in, after some exceptional saves from their keeper, Ollie broke the deadlock, and we were 1-0 up. After more fabulous link-up play, and with some fresh legs on the pitch, Macer managed to square another away after a great pass from Kit just after the 20-minute mark, and Ville were cruising, now 2 goals to nil. Defensively, the invulnerable trio of Andy, Ed and Jude remained stern as ever and led to some great play up the wings and through to the midfield. Despite Cobdown’s lackluster attack, Martin remained solid when the odd shot managed to weave through. Up the wings, Noah and Kit relentlessly carried the ball into their final quarter, with Elliot in the midfield regularly getting involved, his flair evident.
At the break, we gathered in the goal, and discussed our great performance – keep up the good work and remain focused were the key messages to take away. Aron was relentless at the goal, pinging in plenty of shots, but ultimately it was Asa who got the third goal, managing to decisively slot one home at the 40th minute. With the win all but secured, Ville continued to keep the tempo high, with the vast majority of our more experienced players on the sideline. It was not long until our 4th goal was slotted home, courtesy of Archie and some fabulous link-up play from Aron.
In the later stages of the game, Cobdown managed to up the ante a little, securing a penalty short after some intense action in the D. Despite the defence’s effective work to clear the ball, the umpire signalled for a second short, which was duly cleared again. Ville managed to subsequently secure a short for ourselves; however, it proved unfruitful. Soon after, the final whistle was blown, and the match ended 4-0, with yet another clean sheet secured! On to next week’s local derby up at Herne Bay!
