Cannock M1s 2 - 3 Nottingham University M1s
   Cannock welcomed top of the league Notts Uni to Chase Park. Cannock were on the back foot from the first whistle but the system held firm & kept opposition chances to a minimum.
   A rare counter attack on the 15 minute mark saw Cannock win a penalty corner. This was safely dispatched in to net by top scorer Callum Stacey to see the Stags take the lead. Next goal though went to the students following a mistake in the Cannock midfield allowing an overload in the circle & an easy equaliser.
   On the stroke of half time Cannock turned the students over on our own 23m line & a quick break by Duncan Gladwin found Matty Bellin through on goal, Matty drew the goalkeeper to slot it back to Duncan Gladwin who slid the ball into the empty net to see Cannock take a 2-1 lead into half time.
   At the restart Cannock found early pressure & challenge the students but couldn't add to their lead. In the 42nd minute a penalty corner to Notts Uni was deflected high into the net to bring the game back into parity. Despite some attacking exchanges it was Nottingham University who struck the winning blow with a 62nd minute winner.
   A solid performance by a young Cannock side which includes 6 players not even older enough to go to university yet but a disappointing result against the league leaders where we could of got some reward.

 

Cannock M3s 1 – 0 Warwick
   Cannock Mens 3s hosted Warwick in the first game of the day. Having faced a tough Warwick side in the first half of the season, Cannock knew the oppositions 10th placed position in the league wouldn’t reflect the challenge they would bring. A number of new faces graced the Cannock side with debuts from young lads Harry Micheal and Luke Stacey. Plus Phil Highway and a Cannock senior “Bradda” coming up from the fourth team.
   Cannock started with the majority of possession forcing Warwick back into their own half. Opportunities came but there were no real clear chances to be had as Warwick’s defence stood firm. Cannocks front three of Ed Martin, Dave Wigg and Harry Micheal along with midfielder Jordan Joiner greater chances and were rewarded with a couple of short corners, but were unable to convert.
   Half time came and the emphasis was kept on the good movement and passing play Cannock had created. The final finish was now required.
   Not long after the re-start Chris Mayer found the ball in the Warwick D after a short corner, his shot rocketed towards the defender who had inadvertently stopped the ball going into the goal with his foot, this resulted in a penalty stroke. Chris stepped up and dispatched it into the bottom corner 1-0.
   Cannock looked to increase the pressure but as tiredness set in the opposition started to find some avenues of play, fortunately the Cannock back four held firm and never allowed Warwick to pull one back. The remainder of the game didn’t produce much to report apart from the final result. A gritty win but non the less a result to be proud of, maintaining the 5th placed position in the league.
   A mention to the young duo of Harry Micheal and Luke Stacey who brought their a-game and both produced a great performance on their debuts for Cannock 3s.

 

Cannock M4s  0 - 3 Harbourne
   Cannock 4’s welcomed Harbourne 5’s to chase park on a miserable Saturday afternoon, with yet another changed side and only 11 players available to play against 14 players for Harbourne,
   Cannock started well they settled into the game well, both sides had equal play and had their fair chances, young keeper Conor in goal for Cannock pulled off a few good saves but a lost ball in midfield gifted Harbourne a chance and they took it.
   Halftime came with Cannock 0-1 down, a positive team talk saw them start the 2nd half as well as they had the 1st, they won their 1st short corner of the game which unfortunately was defended well.
   Harbourne broke quickly from the corner and scored their 2nd goal. Cannock knew they had to keep battling hard but the lack of subs was taking its toll on them and Harbourne bagged another goal, the game ended 0-3 although the performance Deserved more, special mention to Conor Lloyd-Smith who played his first game for the 4’s and made some brilliant saves, also Andy Hoare who also stepped up to give Cannock 11 players and performed amazingly.
   Next week Cannock have a double header, away v Edgbaston on Saturday and home v Old Hales on Sunday let’s hope they can bounce back

MOM Andy Hoare

 

Cannock M5s 3 – 1 Sutton Coldfield
   Cannock Mens 5ths finally got their first points of 2018 with a hard fought but assured performance against early season high flyers Sutton Coldfield.
   Taking control from the start, Cannock created the early opportunities but were unable to capitalise. Sutton punished a defensive error and put pressure on an overloaded Cannock defence and sweep the ball into the net for the opening goal.
   Cannock responded well and resumed the attack. Short corners were awarded but not converted. Eventually, Paul Martin forced a shot from.the top of the D, which although going wide, was deflected into the goal by Mat Edwards.
   Cannock soon scored a second goal when Fergus Forsyth drove into the D and struck an unstoppable shot. Sutton were always dangerous on the counter attack and their mixture of skilful youngsters and strong, experienced players meant they were always a real threat. Cammocl successfully defended a number of short corners just before the break.
   At halftime, with Cannock 2-1 up, the team talk was all about truth telling: the side was playing well but under threat from a decent opposition. Desire was what would won the game. 
   Almost immediately, Cannock showed their desire was greater than Sutton's, when they extended their lead through Paul Martin. Sutton were not done though, and mounted repeated attacks of their own. The back 4 of Josh Jones, Lee Marsh, Karl Owen and Derek Prince held firm and a dominant performance from Rufus Horn in goal ensured the scoreline remained unchanged, in spite of more Sutton short corners.
   Cannock emerged victorious, despite the best efforts of a talented Sutton side. It was a satisfying win against a side who pushed Cannock all the way.
Man of the Match was Josh Jones, for his best performance for the 5ths.

 

Cannock L1s 0 – 1 Isca
   Cannock ladies 1s started the second half of their league campaign with a monster trip to Isca in Exeter knowing that 3 points would take some pressure off the away side
   Cannock started strongly and used their knowledge of the opposition to transfer the ball around the defence biding their time to make a quick break down the side line. Cannock were pleased going into half time at 0 - 0 having lost to them 4-1 at home
   Second half did not start so well for the travelling side and a lack of structure and a period of chaos led to the home getting a penalty corner which they converted to give them a 1-0 lead.
   Cannock although disheartened continued to put the pressure on Isca getting their own short cor we which was saved on the line by the defender.
   Despite a strong and positive performance by a team who haven’t played together since the end of November Cannock returned home with 0 points as the game finished 1-0

 

Cannock L2s 1 – 1 Loughborough University
   Cannock ladies 2’s welcomed 3rd in the table Loughborough university 2’s on a very wet morning, with their full squad of 15 we were up against it. Loughborough carried most of the possession in the first half and had a goal disallowed for a well spotted foot in the D, this gave Cannock a scare and the tempo of the game increased. Both D’s were penetrated with some great end to end Hockey, but it was Loughborough that broke the dead lock with a goal just before half time.
   The second half saw Cannock come out fighting, on the 5th short corner Rachel Drayton Chana of Cannock equalised and the game was back on! Cannocks defence battled hard carrying the ball out from some crunching tackles, player of the match Becky Machin working well with Lucy Hammond to keep Loughborough at bay. In the dying minutes of the game cannock had a chance to take the win with a 2 on 1 break away leaving Rachel Drayton Chana on course for her second, but a great log from the Loughborough keeper kept the final score 1-1. A well deserved point for cannock.

 

Cannock L3s 3 – 0 Leek
   Cannock Ladies 3s played Leek ladies 2nd team in a rainy fixture at home this week. The play started with excellent intensity from Cannock showing great teamwork with connecting passes and determination to hunt the ball down and get outcomes in the D. This resulted in Cannock quickly going 2-0 up before half time.
   The second half showed a renewed leek side who had several breaks against Cannock and defended well to stop a number of shots from the home side. However, not enough to keep put a further goal from Cannock to take it to 3-0. The final 10 minutes showed a real push from leek to put Cannock under pressure and some short corners were conceded. But thanks to a great Cannock team effort to get back and defend (including slide tackles and taking some hits from leek) we kept a clean scoresheet.
   Overall a well fought match and a great 3 points for Cannock who take their determination into next week in looking to beat the yet undefeated bloxwich 1s at home at 10:15am. All support is gratefully received as it promises to be quite a showdown!!

 

Cannock L4s 2 – 2 Leek
   Cannock ladies 4s welcomed Leek 3s on a wet dreary Saturday morning. Cannock started brightly having the majority of the ball but it was Leek who scored first capitalising on a Cannock mistake. Cannock kept their composure and were duly rewarded with a short corner. A well worked routine saw man of the match Hettie equalised for the home team.
   Cannock continued to push but it was the away side that went ahead again following a second Cannock mistake. Cannock didn't let their heads go down and were again rewarded with another short corner. With the routine working well the 1st time Cannock decided to stick with it and Hettie again hit the backboard.
   At 2-2 Cannock were mindful not to make any more mistakes and continued to press the Leek defence. Despite coming close on a number of occasions including hitting the post the elusive winning goal didn't come with the game finishing 2-2.

 

Cannock L5s 1 – 0 WATS
   Cannock Ladies 5ths played exceptionally well against WATs in a friendly on Saturday with a well worth win of 1-0. The team experimented with new positions with the goal being scored by a defence player, Dora Adams; who was also Cannock’s player of the match.