Cannock Resume Their Winning Ways

After a series of disappointing results Cannock NOW National Premier League side returned to winning ways with a convincing 8 – 3 win over Hampstead & Westminster. Hampstead arrived at Chase Park on the back of a 3 – 1 victory in a re-scheduled game over Sheffield Hallam the previous day. Despite this Hampstead arrived in disarray, having lost their away kit en-route. The Cannock management came to their rescue and dug out a 1984 Cannock away kit. After dusting off the vintage shirts and re-taping the numbers Hampstead were ready to take to the field. Cannock saw a chink in the Hampstead armour and pressured their defence from the off. After 4 minutes Cannock were awarded a penalty corner. This was deftly deflected into the net by Martin Ebbage to chalk up Cannock’s first. Cannock continued to pressurise the Hampstead goal but it was the visitors who claimed the next goal when a wayward tackle by Josh Gunnell was penalised with a penalty. Neil Hamilton duly dispatched this to level the scores.  Despite endless pressure and several goalmouth chances it was 20 minutes after their first that Cannock recorded their second goal. Despite the Hampstead keeper scrambling away two attempts on goal, the ball fell to Scottish international Russell Anderson who ballooned the back of the net with a fierce drive from the top of the D.

Cannock’s next goal was the pick of the bunch with England Under 21 Nick Bandurak picking a high ball from the air and immediately striking a beautifully timed half-volley reverse hit passed the bemused Hampstead keeper. Despite being two goals to the good Cannock knew that they had much work to do if they were to claim the much needed three points.

The early period of the second half saw Cannock’s most dominant section of the game. In a nine minute spell of pressure Cannock scored a further four goals. The first of these came after 37 minutes when England international Dave Beckett turned and struck a goal bound ball from the top of the D. On 44 minutes Pete Jackson found the net from a penalty corner. A minute later Beckett scored his second from a well worked Andy Appleton cross. In the next minute Martin Ebbage added his second with a solo drive into the D and a pin point shot that left the keeper stranded.

Cannock were comfortably six goals in the lead which probably accounted for a couple of defensive errors that presented Hampstead with two goals. In the closing minutes Cannock continued on the offensive. After a steal by Captain Marc Edwards, when pressing deep in the Hampstead half, the ball fell once again to Dave Beckett, whose reverse strike rocketed into the net for his hat-trick and Cannock’s eighth.

These valuable three points lift Cannock narrowly away from the relegation positions and this week’s goal tally has greatly improved their goal difference. Next week, a win at Sheffield, who sit three points below them in the table, will still be vital to league survival. On the evidence of this week’s performance they are more than capable of meeting this challenge and maintaining Premiership Hockey representation in the West Midlands.