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Past Reports - first half of season
Coventry & NW 1 - 3 Nottingham
Nottingham 5 - 6 Sutton Coldfield
Harborne 12 (twelve) - 0 Nottingham
Nottingham 2 - 5 Olton & WW
Litchfield 5 - 1 Nottingham
Nottingham 1 - 7 North Staffs
Mansfield 3 - 3 Nottingham
Bridgnorth 1 - 3 Nottingham
24th November
Nottingham 3 Bridge 1
With both sides going into the game knowing that a win could open a game between the bottom 4 and mid-table the game was always going to be a tense affair; but this win for Nottingham sees their season continuing to build and points are the reward for hard work and sticking to game plans.
Nottingham dominated early possession and constructed a few openings, Rob Kilpatrick added a quick finish to one of the moves and sent the home side into a lead. The goal seemed to wake West Bridgford up and they then took the next phase of game to Nottingham and converted a penalty corner to bring the scores level. The game was held in the balance for some time but with Bridgeford pushing people into the middle to support attacks it was Nottingham who got the upper hand again converting first from some good break play from the forwards and then a rebounded penalty corner - Alex Crabtree opened his account for the season keeping a cool head to finish both.
3-1 to Nottingham at the break and so tho the second-half. Bridgford committed more men to the middle to restrict Nottingham's midlfield paly and piled on the pressure leaving the home side to play on the break. A few fractious moments between the teams were inevitable as both teams play with passion and. All in all a scrappy second half fizzled out with Bridgford unable to convert their pressure into goals and the two side cancelled each other out. The Nottingham defense held firm even through a barrage of penalty corners and deserve credit for their resolute performance.
Next week sees the team on a trip to 2nd placed Chesterfield - Nottingham will be hoping to build further on their last 2 performances.
MOM - Probably Alex for his 2 goals.
DOD - Andy for having the curse of the coach!.....toys out the pram......and for realising that he'd played in the wrong position for the second half (3hrs after the game)!
Archive match reports.......
Coventry & NW 1 - 3 Nottingham.
Coming off the back of last weeks disappointment against Sutton (played like muppets - see last weeks report) and having lost to Harborne 12-0 two weeks prior to this game, and then Cov & NW defeating Harborne.......a couple of players missing, 2 new players in the team and only 1 substitute......lets just say that it wasn't a confident Nottingham side on the way to the game. Captain Steve Hall asked for effort and hard work from all and Nottingham tried to stick to a structure (having learnt that if you don't, you get beat) and the aim was really to keep the score line respectable.
The game started an possession was shared for the opening period; Coventry tried hard to release their quick forward line and Nottingham were trying to construct play so it was a battle of styles. Some hard work by the midfield and defense saw Nottingham start to dominate possession and threaten the Coventry goal, despite this it was Coventry who converted a penalty corner to take the lead. The game continued as before and Nottingham were able to get back in to the game through a Rob Kilpatrick goal before the half-time whistle.
The second half saw Nottingham continue to dominate possession and continue the work rate to snuff out the Coventry threat, and for the first time this season Nottingham had a team under pressure and the chances started to come. After a couple of missed opportunities it was Dan Rippon who smash Nottingham into the lead with a "don't shoot from there" reverse stick from the baseline! and as Nottingham continued to attack student Will deflected in from close range to give Nottingham an unassailable 3-1 lead which they proved able to defend until the final whistle. Though everyone played well; new player Tom Radford and the return of Ed Kendall in the Nottingham goal contributed well to the game and deserve a mention.
Next week Nottingham will attempt to build on this performance at home to West Bridgford - 1400 at the Goose.
MOM - Close call but Dan Rippon for his work rate and ridiculously good finish.
DOD - Alex......just ridiculous driving on the way there - who were you following!!!!!
Nottingham 5 - 6 Sutton Coldfield.
The less said about this one the better! A relegation 6 pointer at this stage of the season in which Nottingham snatched defeat from the jaws of a draw in a high scoring game that quite frankly was like something out of a Keystone Cops film. I haven't a clue who scored first but ultimately they scored last.....and that seemed to settle it. Nottingham must learn that in order to succeed they are going to have to play as a team, stick to a game plan and give a s**t.
Next week we're on the road to Coventry & NW who apparently beat Harborne today so that'll be fun!
MOM - Dan Rippon......Scored 4 goals and was the only Nottingham player that turned up.
DOD - Everyone else for being rubbish!
Harborne 12 (twelve) - 0 Nottingham.
This might sound silly but we didn't actually play that badly.......OK I just read it back and it does!
The game started and Nottingham were organised and had the majority of possession, made 3 or 4 chances and had 3 PCs in the opening 10mins; on the other hand Harborne had 3 attacks and scored 3 goals. After that it was always going to be a long day at the office! Harborne scored at regular intervals throughout the game with goals ranging from brilliant to fluke and Nottingham were unable to stop them. It wasn't all one way traffic and Nottingham had plenty more opportunities to score but all they found was the Harborne keeper who pulled of some really good saves.
At the end of the day we were just turned over by a better side on the day and some of the best attacking play and circle work we'll ever play against.
Next week sees Nottingham take on fellow strugglers Sutton Coldfield at home - 1400 at the Goose.
MOM - Everyone - because at least we stuck together and lost together, no hissy fits or walking off at the end.
DOD - Their manager - who was a really nice old bloke and tried to pick us up......unfortunately his choice of opening of "thanks for the game, you weren't really that bad" and "it can't get worse" were of little consolation.
Nottingham 2 - 5 Olton & WW.
A disappointing game which saw Nottingham snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a game they should have won.
The game began with Nottingham taking control, eager to put last weeks disappointment behind them and it was this determine effort that saw them take the lead through a Rob Kilpatrick penalty corner strike. Nottingham continued to dominate and limited Olton's attacking, however it was Olton who drew level against the run of play from a contentious free hit on the edge of the circle which was struck to goal by a player who appeared to be within 5 mtrs of the ball (which also didn't appear to travel 1mtr).......Nottingham were able to turn their disappointment into chances and even though James Maughan gave the home side the lead going into the half time break it would be missed chances that came back to haunt Nottingham later in the game.
In the second half Nottingham resumed with the type of play that got them ahead in the game but again missed early chances and Olton begun to stride fowards and pressurise the Nottingham midfield and defense to make chances of their own. Then followed the mad 15 mins that cost us the game, everyone on the Nottingham side turned the ball over and as Olton began to dominated the play Nottingham gifted 3 goals to them. The last 10 minutes saw Nottingham fight back but again missed chances cost them and it was Olton who took all 3 points away down the M42.
Next week sees Nottingham travel to Harborne who are currently undefeated and scoring an average of 8 goals a game - oh good!
MOM - Rich Alban kept Olton at bay for much of the game and was left high a dry by the rest of the team.
DOD - Gis, Maugahy and Killer for walking off in a hissy fit at the end!
Litchfield 5 - Nottingham 1.
Litchfield dominated this game from the push back and Nottingham struggled all afternoon on a bouncy pitch which didn't suit our style of play. Under pressure from the start it was Nottingham who took the lead as one of the Litchfield defenders proved that you can score an own goal in hockey as he diverted Rob Kilpatricks cross into the goal. However as the first half continued it was Litchfield who played the ball around with more purpose at took a 2-1 lead into the break thanks to 2 well worked penalty corners which the Nottingham defense failed to pick. Whilst Nottingham did create some chances of their own they didn't execute penalty corners well and failed to really trouble the Litchfield keeper.
At half-time we talked about keeping in touch but in truth it was Litchfield who dominated, particularly with the 3 midfielders who worked hard and created opportunity for the Litchfield forward to kill of the game with 3 more goals opportunities. Nottingham had 2 or 3 clear cut chances in the final 10 mins as the game opened up but again failed to finish as Litchfield held on to the lead convincingly.
Nottingham will be looking to make more of their chances next week at home to Olton - 1400 at the Goose.
MOM - Dan Rippon who worked hard all game for very little reward.
DOD - Killer for the most bizarre goal I've seen in ages (at least he didn't celebrate it)!
Nottingham 1 - 7 North Staffs.
With 4 points from their opening 2 games Nottingham started strongly and competed well in the first half, taking the lead through a finely struck penalty corner from Guy Guisborne. The game was pretty even and Nottingham were perhaps feeling unlucky to go into the break 1-2 down but were happy to be in touch and felt positive about the game.
However the 2nd half was a different affair with North Staffs setting their stall out early to rattle Nottingham, their tactics worked as an under pressure Nottingham conceded goals and under pressure umpires failed to control the Staffs players. Though Nottingham did have plenty of ball they were unable to create penalty corners or convert open play chances of their own. Whilst the result was disappointing for Nottingham the North Staffs lads didn't appear to be happy either which I don't really get seeing as they won 1-7.
Next week Nottingham will be aiming to get things back on track with points away to Litchfield.
MOM - Probably no-one did enough to get it.
DOD - Shared between their forward who ended up being taken off to avoid his yellow card and the umpire who didn't bring him back on to award the yellow.
Mansfield 3 - Nottingham 3.
In a tough game between 2 local rivals who share the same pitch this was always going to be a hum-dinger, especially when you add in to the mix Nottinghams recent relagation from the EHL and Mansfield who continue their ("bank roll") ambitions to gain promotion to the National League.
The game opened with hard work and endeavor form both teams and it was always going to be about who took their chances. In the first half it was Mansfield who converted 2 and Nottingham only able respond with a well taken penalty corner from Rob Kilpatrick.
Determined to get back on terms in the second half Nottingham started strongly but found themselves further behind and the game appear to be going away from Nottingham with the points and the bragging rights at the Goose heading to Mansfield. However as the half wore on Mansfield wore out, and Nottingham started to dominate possession and get the game by the scruff of the next as their National League experience showed. A superb individual goal from Rob Kilpatrick bought the score to 2-3 and Mansfield started to buckle and turn possession over easily; in the final minute Nottingham were still pressing for the equalliser and were awarded a penalty corner as the final second ticked down Alex Crabtree struck the ball hard and low in to the corner leaving the keep stranded and the defender only able to stand as the ball hit his legs on the line. The final whistle blew as the stroke was awarded and in the end it was left for James Maughan to convert the penalty stroke past a hapless and dejected Manfield goalkeeper.
Honours even and nottingham look forward to a home game against North Staffs next week - 1400 at the Goose.
MOM - Maughany for putting the stroke in under pressure.
DOD - Glen for still being in Nottinghams fine session when he plays for Mansfield!
Bridgnorth 1 - 3 Nottingham
A drastically rebuilt Nottingham team headed to Bridgenorth to open their account in the Midlands Premier following last seasons disappointing relegation form the National League. After a challenging pre-season this would be the first test for many of the team at this level.
Nottingham started strongly and made their early pressure tell as Chris Barber deflected a cross past a static keeper to open the scoring. The team were able to build further and dominated much of the 1st half but took that solitary goal lead into the break.
The second half saw Nottingham continue to dominate and despite a few nervous moments at 1-1 they were able to take the points courtesy of a well worked goal finished of by James Maughan and a brilliantly deflected penatly corner from Chris Barber giving Nottingham the 3-1 lead they needed. There are still challenges ahead as the team continues to rebuild but 3 points from the first outing was encouraging.
Next week see the game everyone has been waiting for as the boys take on Mansfields at the Goose - 1400 push back.
MOM - Chris Barber 2 goals......used the ball well even had his eyes open for one of the goals.
DOD - Andy for finding the longest route to the pitch.
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