Pembroke vs Gowerton – Captain’s Report

Posted on by gowertonhockey

Unfortunate loss for the ladies this weekend, but the score doesn’t reflect the standard of play from the ladies throughout the whole match.

The first half started off really well the ladies were able to hold Pembroke off and picked up the key players early giving us the advantage. The standard of play was high, the game was fast and the pitch was bouncy! Making this a different game to the one we are used to.

Pembroke attacked hard and were able to get into our defending D early into the game but our outstanding defensive play managed to hold them off. As the ladies settled into the standard of play, they began to push forward. Clearing out wide and running it wide meant they were able to get the ball up to the forwards. However, despite showing excellent team work and passing ability, Pembroke were hot on our tails and strong in their defensive play. Flooding the area made it difficult for our forwards to secure a goal. Despite Pembroke’s effort and because of the collaborative work of our ladies, they were unable to secure themselves a goal within the first half.

A constructive half time talk prepared the ladies to go back out fighting for the win. Tactical play and strategies were in place, they were ready to go. The second half’s standard of play was pretty similar to the first, the ladies were pushing the ball wide, defending hard and work collaboratively. This half showed more play within our attacking half. Opportunities came for the ladies to secure themselves goals from short corners and penalties from just outside the D but despite a variety of plays and opportunities, the ladies didn’t get to hear the clatter of the backboard.

It wasn’t long before the ladies were under threat of the Pembroke forwards. A penalty in the D saw Pembroke secure themselves a short corner. A well-structured short corner was made it nearly impossible to save the great goal. Pembroke were 0-1 up.

Despite being a little dis-heartened the ladies still continued to work hard and try and hold Pembroke off, but it wasn’t long before Pembroke were back in the ladies defending D and securing themselves a fantastic second goal from the reverse stick. Both goals were superb and we can’t take that from them.

As play continued the ladies, in true Gowerton style, continued to keep the spirits high and fought for a goal but were sadly unsuccessful. The final whistle went; Pembroke took the win and guaranteed their promotion to the premiership. Congratulations Pembroke!

My captain’s player goes to a player who, like everyone else on the team, worked their socks off. However, they put everything into their tackles and attacking play, taking a battering from some questionable standard of play from Pembroke. This player oozes confidence when on the ball and skilfully drives the ball forward, gaining yards as they go. For these reasons my captain’s player this week is Victoria Vaughan. Well done.

Final score Gowerton 0-2 Pembroke.

Radnor vs Gowerton – Captain’ Report

Posted on by gowertonhockey

Another phenomenal win for the ladies again this week. Bare 11 and we smashed it.
 
We knew it was going to be a tough game physically as we were down to the bare 11, meaning no fresh legs or rests on the side line. However, our determination didn’t waiver to win and it was evident as we came out fighting. From the starting whistle the ladies put Radnor under pressure which soon resulted in a short corner being awarded and a slip to Lauren Humphreys secured us our first goal. A cheer erupted around the pitch, we had actually scored off a short corner and it had been a long time coming. Our spirits were boosted but we continued to play strong with the 0-0 attitude.

Within minutes we were back in our attacking D a strike from Jayde Piontecki, saw the goal keeper stop the ball dead on the line. However, a cheeky jab from Nicola tucker edged the ball over the line securing us our second goal. Play continued to remain strong, all the ladies had bonded and smooth sleek moments of play were displayed continuously in the first half. And not long before the half time whistle, Jayde Piontecki made her return to the club (3 weeks after having baby Sia) a good one by securing the 3rd goal.

 
A well-deserved rested half time enabled the ladies to recharge their batteries and go smash the second half. It was at this point that we could have really done with some subs. The freaky warm weather didn’t help the situation and I’m pretty sure Ria cannon got sun burnt :p.

The second half was pretty much identical to the first. The ladies smashed it once again, despite being tired they did not give up the fight. Radnor began to run out hard but we still managed to hold them off. Amazing defensive work and awesome saves from Amy enabled this. It wasn’t long again before our amazing forwards were outing the Radnor keeper under pressure again, which resulted in Jayde securing the 4th goal of the match, this girl is on fire! After having a baby, she comes back and smashes it.

As play continued Radnor were able to come back and score their one and only goal of the match, despite Amy being a little disheartened not having a clean sheet the ladies weren’t too concerned as we knew that we could get another one back. And that we did, not just the one but two. Our 5th goal come from Nicola Tucker and out final/6th goal from Ria Cannon.
 
It was again very hard this week to choose a captain’ player as everyone gave it their all. However, I would like to give my captain’s player to a player that potentially doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. She is always our last bit of hope on the pitch and over the last couple of games, including this one has made some awesome saves, despite the pressure she it put under. For this reason I would like to give my captains player to Amy Hansen. Well done hun. 

Final score Gowerton 6-1 Radnor. 

Gowerton V Dinefwr – Captain’s Report

Posted on by gowertonhockey

 

Well what can I say about this game?!

The first half of this match was intense and Dinefwr came out strong putting us under pressure, but we were determined we weren’t going to take it lying down.

However we gave as good as we got though but unfortunately despite our efforts and hard work, e went 0-1 down as Dinefwr took advantage of a Gowerton mistake, which left a player free and open in the D.

Wasn’t the best first quarter but I suppose we can’t be perfect all the time hey ladies! This result didn’t reflect how we continued to play in the first half.  Despite efforts on both parts, neither Dinefwr or Gowerton were able to secure a goal in the second quarter.

After a very constructive and empowered half time talk, from all the ladies we were ready to nail the second half. And that we did!

Dinefwr hardly had a look in, we fought till the end. Set plays, passing and positive communication between the girls were all nailed. The ladies bounded together and worked solidly as a team. Despite a few flared tempers over decisions made the ladies remained united. The majority of the play was in our attacking half, with occasional breaks from one key Dinefwr player. Defence weren’t having that and crushed Dinefwr attempts by feeding the ball through to midfield and up to the forwards.

Though the girls worked tirelessly, with open play and short corners, we were unable to secure a goal. Full time whistle blew, on paper we lost but deep down all the ladies knew that we smashed it!

I may sound biased, but the score definitely didn’t reflect on how we played! After the game the ladies were all on a high, for many different reasons #nocomment! I couldn’t have been prouder of the girls I was on Saturday. This is why I love my team, they don’t take things lightly! Uppagower till the end.

This week captain’s player could have gone to any one of the girls they all gave blood sweat and tears to their efforts in the game. However, one player particularly stood out for me as she gave everything in this game and ensured Dinefwr were not getting passed her without a fight. Her drive and her tackling were on point and she just gave her all to every aspect of the game. And for that reason I would like to give my captain’s player to Rhiannon Simms. Well done! 

Final score Gowerton 0-1 Dinefwr

 

Here are some photos of the match taken by Taylor…

 

 

 

Gowerton v Aberystwyth University -Captain’s Report

Posted on by gowertonhockey

Blood, Sweat and Tears. Literally.
Gowerton travelled to Aberystwyth University on 19/11/2016 and played what I can only describe as the gutsiest game of the season thus far!

The pre match warm up, saw the girls get the fire in their bellies for the game that was ahead. We knew it was going to be a tough game and we were determined to kick off the game with a strong start and mentally dominate the game.

The whistle blew and we went out fighting straight away; it took us 10 minutes to settle and to adjust to having players playing out of position in the centre of the field. Then, we clicked and communication was outstanding; the girls were calling their players and we were reading the play really well. Aberystwyth had 2 key players who broke down through the middle of the field, Lauren Humphries had the task of ‘taking out the dutch’ and boy did she do this! Gowerton were unlucky in the first half, which saw us concede a goal. The goal came off a foot from Aberystwyth but was allowed by the umpires. Gowerton did not let this affect their spirits.

Half time talk and there was not an inch of negativity in sight. I could not say anything other than good words to my girls. We were to go back out there fighting.

Half time whistle went. Out the girls went again, fighting for every single ball. Victoria Vaughan and Ria Cannon fought like animals in the mid field, we used the substitutions frequently in order to keep fresh legs in the mid field. Gowerton were switching the ball across the field out to Ffion Morgans, Paige Hobbs, Kellie Melbourne and Rhiannon Simms. After the half time talk the wide mild fielder players used the width to our advantage (Ffion is no longer a defender!). Gowerton pressed on every single free hit that Aberystwyth had, limiting their chances of breaking. Our play seemed to be improving and we were forcing Aberystwyth to make errors.

Midfield sent a ball through to striker Jessica Williams, which saw her receive it on top of the D, she quickly switched it out to Nicola Tucker on the right, which was then directed straight back into Williams in the D, everything went into that goal. The pitch erupted; we were back in the game. (I had a lump in my throat at this point). Text book hockey right there!

Gowerton continued to fight for absolutely everything, no player was left unmarked and no ball was left un-tackled. From the back, I could see how much the girls wanted this. Aberystwyth were strong on the attack, using their key Dutch players to break through, but Amy Hansen was on fire. She was bouncing goals away from her goal, chest saves, the lot! The defensive line; Hannah Preuss and Alison Jones were clearing the balls to the mid field and Rhiannon Simms was like lightening when defending the short corners. DE-FENCE!

Gowerton were unlucky in the second half and we conceded a second goal from Aberystwyth. My girl’s heads dipped for a split second but they went straight back out there and continued the fight against Aberystwyth.

Final whistle and Gowerton had not been able to secure another goal; final score was Aberystwyth 2- Gowerton 1.

Gowerton gathered in the centre of the field. For the first time ever in my hockey life, I was proud despite losing. I could not have asked for anything more from my girls on the pitch during this game. I know how much it meant to everyone and there was not one thing that we could have done more. There were tears, hugs, pile ons and a car crash. We lost but we smashed it!

Gowerton ladies hockey club, I am so proud of you, and to have captained you for this game will stay with me forever.

In light of this, I cannot pick a captain’s player for this game as you all deserve recognition. Thank you.

GLHC for life!

 

 Gowerton v Aberystwyth University – 0-1

Katie Young

Vice-Captain

 

Whitchurch 3rds v Gowerton – Captain’s Report

Posted on by gowertonhockey

A well deserved win this week for the ladies. All thanks to their outstanding play. 

Losing the toss, the ladies were put on the back foot with Whitchurch attacking from the start. However, this week the ladies clicked from the start and showed no mercy. Through excellent communication and amazing team work, the girls managed to hold Whitchurch off and turn the game in their favour fairly quickly. The ladies worked the ball through the defence and midfield through text book 1-2 passes feeding the ball up front to the forwards. From this the ladies were able to secure themselves a short corner. Despite a solid strike from Hannah Preuss a goal wasn’t to be. However due to the fault of Whitchurch the ladies gained another short corner. Still no goal. Not long after another short was awarded and from the rebound of the initial strike Jessica Williams secured the ladies their first goal. We were 1-0 up and spirits were high. 

Due to continued outstanding play, man marking and effective communication the ladies continued to show impeccable play. Despite Whitchurch’s attempts within the D and short corners they were unable to equalise with the ladies before the half time whistle.

After fairly light hearted half time talk, focusing on the positives the ladies were ready for action again. The ladies just kept going from strength to strength maintaining to put Whitchurch under pressure and put them on the back foot. However, Whitchurch came out determined from the start and gave the ladies a greater challenge. After some effective open play and a break down the line Whitchurch secured themselves an equaliser. The ladies took this on the chin and continued to attack hard. Continuing to demonstrate solid teamwork and constructive passing the ladies remained strong. With a run down the line from Hannah Preuss was able to to give  Jessica Williams a great assist for her second goal putting the ladies 2-1 up.  

The ladies were eager to hold onto this lead and through the remaining strong, that they did. Not only did they hold on to it, they smashed it! Jessica Williams was on fire, not happy with just her two goals she decided she would gain another two both from open play. Must have been all that birthday cake she demolished from celebrating her birthday on Thursday. 
All the girls played well on Saturday and deserved the win. However there was one player that really stood out for me this week. This player gave her all and put Whitchurch under pressure and made some awesome plays and passes throughout the game. Her tackling was strong along with her work ethic. My captain’s player this week goes to Paige Hobbs.
I would also like to thank Kelly Melbourne for helping us out massively and stepping in goal for the first time.



Final score Gowerton 4-1 Whitchurch  

Gowerton vs Cardiff Medics – Captain’s Report

Posted on by gowertonhockey

 The ladies started off stronger during this match. Communication and defence were strong, despite Cardiff Medics efforts they were unable to secure a goal early on into the match, and this was due to the tight man marking that the ladies demonstrated and strong clears from defence. Also the world class save from Megan James on the line. 

 The ladies were able to put pressure on the medics up front but despite their efforts Nicola Tucker and Ria Cannon were unable to secure a lead goal. The Medics remained strong and did not fold despite the pressure the ladies put on them, their persistence paid off and they were able to secure themselves two goals before the half time whistle. 

There was nothing but praise between the ladies during the half time talk as everyone felt play was good between the team. This helped the ladies go into the second half strong and determined to put the ball in the back of the goal. 

During the second half the ladies still demonstrated excellent play, switching the ball well across the back, impeccable marking in the defensive circle and constructive communication throughout. Despite these efforts the ladies began to show signs of fatigue which enabled the Medics to put more pressure on. The Medics were able to get a number of shots on goal but Amy remained strong. During the second half the medics were able to secure themselves three more goals taking the full time score to Gowerton 0- 5 Medics. 

My Captain’s player for this match goes to Megan James for her consistent efforts in defence and her outstanding save on the line. Megan just came out of nowhere slid along the goal line and managed to stop the ball going into goal at the very last second. Gowerton and the Medics were both astonished by this save. Megan despite taking several hits to the legs she still kept up her rate of play. Well done Megan  

Gowerton v Dinefwr – Captain’s Report

Posted on by gowertonhockey

Not the best of starts for the ladies this weekend. From the start Dinefwr came out strong putting us straight on the back foot and under pressure. Despite the efforts to pull it together the ladies were unsettled and played a very defensive game. Dinefwr ran at us strong not giving the ladies much chance to turn the ball over.

However the ladies did demonstrate some good plays and were able to put some pressure in Dinefwr’s defensive half, despite this effort and a few short corners awarded the ladies were unable to secure a goal. Dinefwr kept up their good fight and were able to secure themselves two tactical goals with one coming off a reverse stick hit. 

At half time the girls discussed what needed to be improved and tactics of how to put more pressure on Dinefwr. This talk gave the girls encouragement and they came out in the second half more positive.

The girls started the second half well. They were more settled, communication improved which had a positive effect on play. The girls were now putting more pressure on Dinefwr and demonstrating sharper passing and constructive play. Mid fields worked well working the ball up to the forwards and holding Dinefwr off. 

Nicola and Jess up front made some good runs into space receiving through balls from midfield. Defence marked well and worked constructively with midfield playing the ball back and switching away from high areas of pressure, this improvement in play increased pressure on Dinefwr. However they still came at the ladies hard. After must fight and good saves from Amy Dinefwr were awarded a short corner which game them their third goal from an unstoppable strike. 

Gowerton didn’t give up they kept up their fight and were determined to get a goal. Despite strikes from both Jess and Nicola the ladies were unable to secure and goal. As play went on Dinefwr were able to secure themselves another goal making the final score Gowerton 0-4 Dinefwr. 

My captains player this week goes to Amy Hansen for her efforts and saves made during the game. The goals that Dinefwr scored were outstanding and unstoppable and would have been difficult for anyone to save. This didn’t get to Amy as she kept up her fight and saved a number of goals throughout the whole game. Well done Amy. 

Captain’s Report – Penarth 2nds v Gowerton

Posted on by gowertonhockey

This week it was so nice to actually play hockey without getting soaked by the rain. Going up with 11 and a half players (Rhi was only available first half) and no goal keeper the odds were against us. But that never stopped the ladies drive and determination. Thankfully Ria Cannon stepped up to the plate and went in goals, despite her nerves she smashed it! 

The first half was very frustrating as we just seemed all over the place. Penarth played the middle well meaning the midfield had their work cut out. Despite opportunities and short corners in our attacking area we were unable to secure a lead goal. Not long into the first half penarth took their chances and secured themselves a 1-0 lead over the ladies. This didn’t drop our spirits but made us more determined to get one back. 

After a good half time talk led by Ffion Morgans the girls came out striving for the win. After much battling Jess Williams took the ball into our attacking circle and into the back of the goal making the score 1-1. The ladies demonstrated some lovely one twos thought the whole game and defended well when needed, frustrating penarth as they were unable to achieve the win. 

This week my captains player was a no brainer. It takes a lot of courage to get that goalie kit on and step into goal having not done it before or even had a training session to help. I felt Ria took the responsibility on well and gave it her best shot. Well done Ria you literally saved us.

Final score Gowerton 1-1 penarth 2nds 

Captain’s Report Gowerton v Radnor

Posted on by gowertonhockey

Outstanding win for the ladies this Saturday against Radnor. 

After a good warm up the girls were focused and ready to rock, which showed in the way they played. There was great play from the midfield feeding the ball up to Jessica Williams and Nicola tucker upfront. Defence were strong and manage to hold Radnor off. Man marking was on point causing Radnor to struggle to find any effective plays. 

The first half was slightly frustrating at first, with the girls settling into the game and fighting against the horrendous weather conditions. Despite this the girls managed to secure two goals, one from Jessica Williams and the other from Nicola tucker. Taking the half time score to 2-0. 

After a constructive half time talk the ladies came out even stronger, with great positioning on the pitch and constructive team work. Constant fresh legs on the pitch meant the ladies were able to maintain the intensity of the game and keep Radnor under pressure. Despite a few short corners Radnor were unable to score a goal, meaning a clean sheet for Amy Hansen this week. With a ball fed  from the midfield into the attacking circle Nicola Tucker secured Gowerton their third and final goal. Each member Gowerton ladies worked well and gave their all as they do every week. 

This week I would like to give my captains player to Lauren Humphries for her outstanding and constant efforts thought the whole game. I felt Lauren committed herself to every tackle and didn’t stop until the ball was securely out of Gowerton’s defensive area. Lauren’s hard efforts also didn’t go unnoticed by Radnor as they also gave her man of the match. Awesome effort Lozza well done. 

Captain’s Report – Gowerton vs Cardiff Uni 3rds

Posted on by gowertonhockey

Saturday saw a frustrating loss for Gowerton Ladies. With Rachel not playing, I captained the team against Cardiff Uni 3’s. 

After an intense warm up; the first half we really came out fighting and dominated the game, we had the possession but were struggling to finish. 

The first half saw great switching of side line balls from Hannah Preuss through the defence with Victoria Vaughan and Annie Williams releasing the balls to Helen Quinn and her running the ball up the pitch. 

A lifted strike from Jayde Piontecki nearly saw us go 1-0 up and Nicola Tucker was running herself ragged up front. A well defended short corner by Gowerton led to a a goal from Jayde, rightly so seeing Gowerton lead 1-0. We were using the play to our advantage. Gowerton were the stronger team. 

1-0 up and a half time talk about quick balls and man marking led the girls back out on the pitch for the second half with their heads held high. A slight loss of structure within the middle of the pitch caused some mistakes with Cardiff players being left unmarked but this was soon sorted out and Gowerton defended their socks off. 

At some point in the D, I was scared of us myself with shots being saved on the line and Amy continuing with her epic saves! It was looking good for Gowerton but a fumble in the D led to Cardiff dribbling the ball over the line and making the score 1-1. 

This disheartened the girls as they were all fighting really hard. A second goal then came from Cardiff from a pass into the D and shortly followed by another flukey goal where the ball dribbled over the line despite the defence bouncing shots back at them. Gowerton continued to fight but had nothing left in their tanks.

A 3-1 loss for Gowerton does not reflect the game and I was proud to captain that side on Saturday. Every one of the girls played amazingly and we did not deserve to lose. 

My captains player this week has to go to Victoria Vaughan for her consistency at the back, great tackling and ball switching. Sorry, I’m a defender so might be biased! Good work GLHC!

Katie Young

Vice-Captain

Katie Young 2