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Spilsbury winner squeezes Town past Sikh Union

Coalville Town 2nd XI  3  Sikh Union (Nottingham) 2nd XI  2

BodyKraft 2nd XI East Midlands Premier Division

On a day when the weather was atrocious, Towns 2^nd X1 battled through the elements to produce a workmanlike display of strong and controlled hockey to see off a skilful Sikh Union team lying just below them in the table by the odd goal in five.

  Losing the toss and playing against a howling wind lashing rain in their faces, Town were soon on the attack as they powered into the visitors, but their early efforts were in vain. Missing attack leader and second top scorer Niki Arnold, Town had to rely on Scott Meadows and Aiden Spilsbury up front but their understanding of each others play was making it difficult to gain momentum. 

With no success from the opening minutes, Town moved Sam Crowie out onto the right flank and it was he who made his mark for Town to open the scoring after just five minutes. Picking up the ball on the half way line, he burst forward on a mazy run, jinking past all defenders in his path and reaching the byline, squared the ball into the dee where, after a scramble in the visitors defence, Brent Clamp just beat Spilsbury to the ball to blast home the opening goal. 

Not to be outdone, the visitors started to put together some good hockey with their skipper coming through from the back to cause problems. Their strong powerful running eventually told when they equalised after 16 minutes, but almost immediately Town hit back to go back into the lead a minute later. 

Some good through play from Richard Wright and Tony Crowie found Meadows in the visitors dee and he lashed home a typical Meadows strike from an acute angle to give the keeper no chance. The same player then missed a glorious chance to make it three when faced with just the keeper but saw his stick go careering from his freezing hands as he struggled to hold to it as he drove at the ball. 

 The visitors kept coming back but the back three of Glen Marston, Ian Wright and Steve Partner were performing miracles in the rain as they held out a strong running forward line to keep Town in charge at half time.

Sikh Union made some changes at the start of the second half, most notably bringing their skipper out of defence and into the middle and he ran the show for the opening minutes with his skillful play as he tore through the home defence.  Town’s only means of blocking him in the early stages was to put Stuart Jobburn and Tony Crowie into his path and they managed to stop him one way or another. His skilful play was belying his team mates and he shone out from them like a beacon and it was he who created their equaliser after 42 minutes.

The play from then on was end to end as both keepers were forced to make saves and once again Joel Barker rose to the task. With both teams tiring in the incessant conditions, it looked as though both could have settled for a draw but neither side was prepared to give up. No one had a real gilt edged chance as the openings became half chances but Town gratefully accepted an opening to secure the game with 10 minutes to go with again Meadows in the forefront.

Picking up a through ball from Richard Wright, he slowly made his way down the right flank holding off challenges as he pushed through the defence, only to pick up speed with a skilful rounding of a defender to blast the ball across the dee, which in a scramble was missed by the keeper going through to a lurking Spilsbury who smashed home his first 2^nd team goal of the season, not only to the delight of his team mates but also to his own exuberance, and capped off a splendid performance for one so new on the scene.

In a hard fought and competitive game played in great spirits and sportsmanship in appalling and difficult conditions, Town were often found wanting at times as they struggled to contain a good and skilful side but their dogged display brought them through a game which will again continue to fill them with confidence as they stride through the matches in this division. 

Town now lie in fourth place, only four points off the promotion places.