Weekend Report No 10

1s 0 V 1 Bowdon 

After a disappointing performance against Leek last week Cannock were keen to make amends this week against 3rd placed Bowdon. The visitors took the early possession but it was Cannock who broke first when Harry Jawanda intercepted a pass to put Callum Swinnerton-Ions through on goal. His reverse strike narrowly brushing the far post. Minutes later the action moved to the other end when a fierce hit into the D, was narrowly deflected beyond the Cannock goal. As Cannock were spurred into attack Jawanda's approach play created chances for Callum McKenzie, Callum Stacey and Swinnerton-Ions. Cannock continued to keep Bowdon at bay with a solid press which showed a cohesion missing in previous games. However Cannock were suddeny put on the back foot when Chris Beck was green carded and Bowdon were awarded a penalty corner. Despite Bowdon's short corner reputation, keeper and 'Man of the Match' Mike Gerrard parried the ball to safety. Jawanda was on the scene again after Russell Anderson stole the ball to put him through for another shot that shaved the post. As the half drew to a close the action swung from end to end. Bowdon had a player green carded, McKenzie won a penalty corner, Gerrard made a fine save, Swinnerton-Ions was green carded for a push in the back, Will fleet was penalised by a dubious decision and Bowdon ended the half with two penalty corners which were again well saved by Gerrard.  

As the umpires prepared to start the second half some of the Bowdon players had not left the changing room. To Cannock's annoyance the officials delayed the start in order for Bowdon get on the pitch before the start whistle was blown. Cannock took advantage of some disarray in the Bowdon ranks and had several clear cut chances. Chris Darnley found Tom Minall who managed to get a half shot away. Cannock's best chance came when Minall was put through by Jawanda in a one-on-one with the Bowdon keeper. Unfortunately the keeper won that encounter. A minute later Minall was through again but a stray pass to Swinnerton-Ions was intercepted and cleared. Swinnerton-Ions broke into the D again but was found out with a stick block. Minutes later he drove a pass across the face of goal but no-one was there to jab the ball home. In the scramble for points there were chances at both ends. Gerrard saved two more penalty corners. A poorly timed substitution gave Bowdon a man advantage and another corner opportunity. At the other end Manveer Dhanda worked a pass across the face of goal but Cannock again failed to get a player on the end of it. There were further half chances that continued to bounce off the Bowdon keeper. With three minutes left and neither team finding the net Bowdon removed their keeper for an extra outfield player. From this and a questionable penalty corner decision, Bowdon converted to put them one up. Cannock then removed their keeper in a last ditch attempt to force a goal. However, Bowdon successfully ran down the clock and took the three points. The players and home crowd all felt a sense of injustice at the result although there were many positives to gain from the team performance. Coach Gary Stacey said after the game, "We stuck to our game plan and knew we would have our opportunities unfortunately today we failed to take the chances. Small margins but big consequences." 

Next week Cannock travel to second place Olton & West Warwick, to take on a team full of ex-Cannock deserters, at the mid-point of the league season.  

MOM Mike Gerrard 

DOD Tom Minall 

2s 1 V 4 Leek 2s 

Cannock where below average this week despite many periods of good play. However, there were too many unforced errors and poor decision making. Cannock's first touch control was non existent and their passing option was rarely considered, with players preferring to dribble up blind alleys.  
 
A decent flick from Chris Gardner was helped into Leek's net by their keeper to level the match at 1-1 before half time. Three more goals in the second half saw Leek take the lead and make Cannock's form dip to three losses in the three games. 
 

MOM Hibbet 
DOD Beardmore 
 

3s 3 V 7 Loughborough Uni 3s 

Cannock Men's 3s made the long and daunting trip to league leaders Loughborough Students on Saturday lunchtime.  
 
The hosts had an army of 16 players, a 100% record from six games and hadn't conceded a goal at home all season. Cannock knew they were in for a tough day. 
 
Despite a good pre-match talk from stand in skipper James Hudson Cannock were far to passive in the opening half and found themselves 5-1 down at half time, Cannock's goal coming from Alex Hill on a short corner.  
 
The second half Cannock were a little more aggressive and pressed Loughborough far more effectively however a lack discipline still lingered at times. The second half was far more even, goals for Guy Sheldon and Ed Martin saw the second half goals shared at two a piece leaving the final score at 7-3. 
 
Next week Cannock travel to 5th placed Olton & West Warwick desperate for three points to climb away from the drop zone. 
  

MOM Ollie Balcombe 

DOD Ed Martin 

4s 2 V 3 Leek 4s 

Cannock 4s hosted Leek 4s at Chase Park with both teams in need of points. Cannock started well scoring 2 goals without return. The first was a well taken goal from Jack Rolfe managing to deflect a high cross from skipper Raffaele. Alan Craddock got Cannock's second from a short corner. 
 
Cannock had to make changes after defender Andy Darnley went off injured and this seemed to spur Leek into action. They got 1 goal back not long after and then another followed after what seemed like dangerous play. 
 
Cannock tried to get back in the game but seemed shelled shocked after giving away a 2 goal lead this then resulted in Leek scoring their third not long before full time. 
 
Cannock have another hard battle on their hands again next week when they welcome Loughborough Uni to Chase Park. 
 

MOM Phil Hubert 

DOD Wiggy (for missing another game!) 

5s 0 V 0 Sutton Coldfield 

A depleted Cannock 5ths made the short trip to Sutton Coldfield, determined to come away with 3 points. In what was undoubtedly their best playing performance of the season, the 11 and a half man squad worked tirelessly for each other from the first minute to the last.  
 
A combination of slick inter-passing and strong running ensured the home side were frequently chasing shadows. As a defensive unit, Cannock were outstanding, allowing Sutton just 2 shots at goal, but also tackling brilliantly and counter attacking through Cameron Horn and James Bradburn who caused all kinds of problems for the opposition.  
 
The forwards and midfield combined well and created many good chances and a number of short corner opportunities. Unfortunately Lady Luck was obviously doing some early Christmas Shopping,  instead of being at Bishop Veasey School where she was meant to be and none of these chances were converted, leaving the final score a frustrating 0-0 draw. 
 
In a hard fought, physical encounter, with some typically "interesting" umpiring, Phil Heighway played his first ever game at centre back and was magnificent in the role, earning himself the Man of the Match vote. Jonny Machin was unanimously  awarded Dick of the Day, for his interpretation of an "aerial", in the vain hope that it will deter him from ever, EVER trying it again. 
 
Next week sees the side make the journey to formidable league leaders Edgbaston who last season were playing 2 leagues higher. A team bonding, pre-match all you can eat breakfast at the Toby Carvery will surely give the boys what they need to make toast of their opponents and  bring home the bacon. 
(See what I did there?) 

MoM Phil Heighway 

DoD Jonny Machin 
 

6s 1 V 4 Newport 

The 6ths travelled to Harper Adams University this week to play Newport with a mixture of both young and experience players. An even first half saw both defenses thwarting the attacks. However, Cannock's structure and experience provided opportunities for Roshan Drayton-Chana, Scott Olsson and Alice Runton, who was making her 6ths debut. Just before half-time a Cannock old boy, Matt Sanders (now aged 22), put Newport ahead from a short-corner. 
 
Newport started the second half with more intensity and purpose than they showed in the first and soon their younger and stronger legs started to take its toll on the Cannock side. Despite the best efforts of Tony Blower in goal and the forever young Geoff Thomas and Bob Pursehouse, Newport scored a further three goals to make the score 4-0. Cannock however didn't give-up and continued to believe in themselves, creating a chance for Gary Jones to put Cannock on the scoresheet. Cannock continued to search for more goals, but the match ended 4-1 to Newport. 

Badgers 0 V 5 Telford 

This week the Badgers squad had a late match against Telford at St. Georges. With a number of Badgers players doubling up for the 6ths this week, it was a big ask of Roshan Drayton-Chana, Scott Olsson, Alice Runton and Josh Jones, as the senior players, to hold a slightly older Telford side at bay. Telford played a fast passing game, creating a number of chances, only for the Cannock keeper, Joe Thomas, to make some superb saves. However, it wasn't long before Telford made the breakthrough and were soon 3-0 up. The young Cannock Badgers players were a little deflated after the Telford third goal, but the welcome return to the pitch of Badgers Head Coach, Dave Michael, after being out of the game for about 18 months due to injury, gave them the lift they needed. 
 
Dave inspired the young Badgers to compete and for long periods of the second half Cannock creating as many chances as Telford. However, injuries to Alice Runton and Roshan Drayton-Chana, along with tiring legs, gave Telford the opportunity to extend their lead further, finishing 5-0 winners at the final whistle. The young Cannock Badgers will take a lot from this game, especially an excellent second half performance, which will hopefully give them the confidence to compete against Yardley Badgers next week. 

 

Quiz Night 

Cannock's 5th Team Quiz was a resounding success. With a degree of trepidation, the quizmasters set up for their multimedia extravaganza without really knowing whether they'd be catering for the number of contestants in 1 versus 100 or the 4 from Mastermind. Once the National League players had finished filling their faces and done the washing up, a total of 10 teams, comprised of about 50 players, ensured it would be a good night. 
 
Questions based on hockey, history and general knowledge set the tone. It was re-assuring that so few knew the shape of a yellow card, presumably having never been issued one. One team called themselves "Free Nelson Mandela", unwittingly predicting one of the questions. Alan Craddock was overjoyed at remembering the name of the first Roman Emperor, having actually been present when he was appointed. Callum Swinnerton Ions' answer of "Chicken Caesar Salad" was less impressive. 
 
The picture round saw some interesting answers-in the celebrity siblings questions, every team mistook Penelope Cruz's sister for that of Cheryl Cole. Cheryl's sister was there too, but was the track suited screaming harpy- not the beautiful smiling Latino lovely that they thought. 
 
Some of the younger players, brought up in the era of political correctness,  were floored by the Carry On films bonus round. There were some intriguing answers (including the disturbing "Carry On Raping") but the round was appropriately won by Gary Stacey's "Crouching Woman Hidden Cucumber". 
 
In the end, the Cannock/Khalsa combo of Andy Hodgetts, Jamie Daniels, Dave Harris and Stuart Gooderham to home the top prize of a meal at Chiquito's, presenting the prospect of the most awkward double date in history. 
 
Karl Owen and Cameron Horn did a sterling job of cajoling/bullying additional money out of those present by holding a raffle, in which Karlo somehow managed to win the top prize of a shiny new Adidas stick (a prize turned down by a number of First Teamers, presumably due to sponsorship obligations). 
 
In total £260 was raised and over 3 times that figure was spent at the bar. It was great to see Jack's Bar buzzing again and shows what the club is capable of doing for each other. Huge thanks go to the bar staff who seemed to really enjoy actually being busy. Well done to everyone who helped to make it such a success- organisers, prize donors and contestants. If there is enough demand, there will be another quiz sometime in the new year.