Men's 1st XI vs Canterbury Pilgrims

This was the big one.The game that decided whether Cliftonville would retain their place in the league which pitted them against teams with more drone operators than Cliftonville had substitutes and clubs with more teams than Cliftonville had training balls

We are talking of course about the dizzying heights of the South East Men’s Division 1 East. 

The game started quickly and it was apparent this was going to be a very competitive game of hockey. Cliftonville started well but Canterbury opened the score line with low driven drag flick to the keeper’s left from a short corner early in the half. The Villians quickly bounced back through an attack down the with Jack Field moving the ball down the left side to Dan Mees who drove to the D and got off a quick pass for Lenny to slot home. A well worked goal that would’ve had Simon Mason making noises in commentry. This was Lenny's first of the season and first for the club. Just like that game on. The rest of the half was an arm wrestle of offensive attack and followed by rear guarded retreat and then attack again from both sides. However, Canterbury won the battle and came into the second half with 2 more goals. 

At halftime, captain Alex Cowell delivered a rousing address, urging the team to commit fully for the remaining 35 minutes, emphasising that opportunities would arise. And arise they did. 

Cliftonville continued to create changes in the opposition 23 and were rewarded with a multitude of short corners. Even with as many moves as the cha cha slide (including one variation which involves hitting the umpire) Canterbury kept winning the duel within their own D. This was until Hayden also got his first goal for the club scrambling the ball over the line in a highly contested short corner. This got Sebastian Cox so excited he tried to take Canterbury’s push back. He is clearly still learning his new role as a forward. The second half was not without pressure from Canterbury, however, a great defensive effort from the team and last minute step in keeper Ollie Bates shut the opposition out for the remainder of the game.

More short corners came and another Hayden goal (you could tell his girlfriend was in the vicinity) however this one was chalked off and the score remained 3-2 until the end of the game, despite Cliftonville’s best efforts. 

So that was that. The defeat sealed Cliftonville’s fate and relegation is now unavoidable. Post match, Alex Cowell who has been the Men’s 1s captain for the past 9 years gave a reflective team talk which highlighted the extraordinary commitment that each and every Men's 1s player have made over the past 2 seasons. The Cliftonville players left the pitch defeated but with their heads held high as they go into the last 2 games of the season.