Exeter axed by Blues
Following their indifferent start to the season, the women's hockey Blues got back to winning ways against Exeter on Wednesday. In what turned out to be a scrappy game of hockey, the Blues were indebted to a fabulous second half goal from captain Fiona Hinds. In spite of their superior skill and organisation, Oxford struggled to capitalise from their greater possession, and only managed to get a handful of shots on target.
In cold, wet, and bouncy conditions, Oxford started off sluggishly, and were lucky to survive some early pressure from Exeter. Early season nerves combined with a summer away from hockey meant that Oxford's coach was a little more than frustrated with the Blues' inability to put all their training into practice in the starting moments. In fact her comment of "that was almost hockey!" after the first five minutes did not exactly fill the team with confidence. Once they got their act together however, the Blues dominated, and played some good possession hockey, urged on by their eccentric goalkeeper Pamela Walker. Walker was rarely troubled by the Exeter attack, but did make some fine saves at crucial times in the game. Oxford's defence is their strong point, being well organised and very good at breaking up play. Their tactics are based on building from the back and keeping possession until an opening appears. Annie Bowden and Gemma Rooker linked especially well down the right hand side, threatening the Exeter team on numerous occasions. In fact the Blues were unlucky at times, as some umpire decisions given against them could have gone either way.
A relatively dull opening with neither team finding its feet meant that a lot of 'ping-pong' hockey was played, with possession being lost far too easily. Oxford did ring some changes to try and regain the balance, and Jenny KimberÃs comment of "I'm just gonna go for another run and take off all my clothes" summed up the number of substitutions that were necessary! 0-0 at half time meant that some inspirational words were required from both coaches, and it was Oxford's that were more effective as the blues bombarded the Exeter defence with attacks, however they were lacking that finishing touch to convert these chances into goals.
Things weren't looking promising mid-way through the second half with Oxford unable to convert all their pressure into a goal, but when the ball fell to Hinds at the top of the 'D' following a broken passage of play, all minds were put to ease as she drilled the ball into the top corner with a thunderous strike. Exeter rallied and almost struck back immediately, but thanks to some good defence from Kate Adlington, their efforts were in vain. In fact after a short spell of dominance from Exeter, the blues regained the momentum and started counterattacking having withstood the Exeter pressure. In search of a second goal, Oxford won some short corners but were unable to convert them. The match thus ended in a win for the blues by a single goal margin.
Captain Fiona Hinds said after the game that she was pleased with the performance and it was the result that counted, as it puts the team back in the top half of the table. The girls have a strong squad this year, and they are all in good spirits, hoping for a successful season. If they keep playing the way they are and manage to convert some more chances they have every chance of bringing some silverware home.
Photo: Andrew Kirton-Vaughan
7th Nov 2002