Monarchs earn a well deserved away win

After the disappointment (for the majority of the team) of having to see England lose in the rugby World Cup Final, the team could have been forgiven for not being as focused on the match vs a very good Eastcote team. This was certainly not reflected in the way the game started, with a lot of good attacking play, short passing and use of the wide spaces as the team probed early on in trying to get a lead in the game. There were some immediate issues with Wayne unfortunately coming off injured in the opening minutes and Fraser being called onto the field to replace a temporarily injured Bruce in defence, but the team continued to keep the shape and meet the challenge of the Eastcote team. The counter-attacking breaks were certainly troubling the Eastcote defenders, and after George chased down a wayward ball that had gone across the top of the Eastcote D, Ash stepped in to unleash a rocket of a shot into the far right of the goal to put the team 1-0 up. This did provoke a response from Eastcote who had their own chances with some brilliant play especially from their youngsters in midfield. In the second half, the game was end to end with both teams getting opportunities to score; the Monarchs defence was being marshalled well by Colin in particular, who was key to turning defence into attack by getting the ball quickly into the midfield. The team were also kept in the lead by a vital save on the line by Bruce from a goal-bound shot that would’ve certainly turned the tide of the game. Unfortunately, due to two quick cards in succession, both Viren and Randy were off the field at point which the Monarchs were under a lot of pressure but the defence held firm and Connor once again provided a number of great saves and some crunching clearances which kept the team in the match. Ash was unfortunately injured in the last quarter of the game which added to the injury list but the team held on for a deserved victory; what was most encouraging was determination and level of hockey that was on display, which bodes well for future matches. Only just edging out what was another magnificent performance from Connor was Ash for man of the match with a brilliant goal.

Match Report: Viren Walia
Man of the Match: Ashley Clark