Men’s National Premier Hockey League

Cannock 2 V 1 Beeston

The Men's National Premier League season started this Saturday with Cannock welcoming Midlands’s rivals and last season’s title contenders, Beeston, to Chase Park. Saturday's game was the first for the new coaching team of Mark Moss and Ben Dudley who have worked hard to ready the boys for what will be a challenging but exciting season. On show was the new arrival, England U21 player, Robbie Gleeson and the return of overseas player Ashlin Freddy who landed back in the UK earlier in the week.

With Beeston turning out several of their vast array of international players, Cannock knew they were in for a difficult first fixture. Beeston were quickly out of the blocks and their sustained pressure and speed in attack soon put Cannock on the back foot. After a couple of short corner attempts and some near misses in open play Beeston found the back of the net through a slipped penalty corner to James Alberry who gave Beeston an early lead.

This was obviously the spur that Cannock needed and they gradually started to impose themselves on the game. However, at half time Beeston still held onto their narrow lead. The game progressed with chances at each end. Both teams squandered penalty corner chances. Cannocks Tom Pinnegar was outstanding in the home side’s goal but with four minutes remaining and Cannock still behind, coach Moss called for the keeper to be replaced with a kicking back to give an extra out field player and the impetus for a final push on the Beeston goal.

Led coolly by Captain Pete Jackson the home side controlled the ball round the back of their defensive line to progress the ball to Beeston’s ‘25’. From here Marc Edwards picked up the ball and fired it into the D, for Mark Daniel to deflect into the roof of the net for the equaliser.

With Keeper Pennegar back on, Beeston pushed for a final attack. However, with the clock in the final minute, a now confident Cannock took the ball from deep within their own half, found Arjan Chana down the flank who produced a magical, cross field, aerial pass to find Mark Daniel in space. Daniel sprinted goal wards, nut-megging England’s Ollie Willars, to slot a pass to Rob Farrington on the edge of the D. Once in the D and with his back to goal, Farrington shot on the turn to direct the ball home for Canoock’s winner. The home crowd went wild as the final whistle blew and Cannock pulled off an important win.

Cannock’s next two games are away in London against Hampstead & Westminster, then the newly promoted Holcombe.