Oxton Hockey Club’s men’s first team win well against Chester

Jan 26 2011 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

OXTON hockey club men’s first team hosted struggling Chester in the Northern Counties Premier Division, hoping to build on their impressive victories from the previous weekend.

Oxton started below par and one might have thought it was the away team who were sitting second in the table.

Chester took a deserved lead with a well-taken finish.

Oxton failed to rally themselves until Huw Collins played a through-ball into the area, Dave Bailey deflected it into the path of captain Gordon Moore who kept his composure well, turning the defender before slotting the ball home.

With the score 1-1 at half-time, Oxton knew they needed a drastically-improved performance to gain the vital three points.

The second period was a different story and Oxton responded to devastating effect.

Penned back into their half, Chester conceded possession cheaply and good work by Ali McKenzie on the base line enabled him to cross on his reverse stick, Sam Cooke meeting it at the back post to finish well, giving the Wirral side the lead.

Moore then scored with a straight strike from a short corner, and with the score at 3-1 Chester’s heads visibly dropped.

Oxton sensed victory and now dominated the game scoring goals with metronomic regularity. The fourth was the best, Moore receiving the ball on the left hit a pinpoint pass to the onrushing McKenzie, who clinically deflected the ball past the keeper. Roles were reversed later when McKenzie lashed a cross in, which Moore directed high into the roof of the net to complete his hat-trick.

Oxton maintained their excellent hockey throughout the half and following good build-up play by the midfield, Dave Bailey received the ball in the area close in, and rolled it past a stranded goalkeeper to make it 6-1. A seventh quickly followed, Collins scoring with a drag-flicked short corner and the rout was deservedly completed by McKenzie’s second goal, a powerful strike leaving the final score an emphatic 8-1.

Oxton sit second in the table and travel to Wakefield knowing a win would keep them involved in the race at the top.

OXTON’S men’s second team had a game against Chester and a re-arranged fixture at Didsbury Northern on Sunday.

Oxton triumphed 3-2 at Chester, Tom Hughes, Ben Russell and Callum McDougall on target. This was followed with a 2-2 draw at table-topping Didsbury on Sunday. A Hughes penalty and a neat finish from Alex Lamb ensured a share of the spoils for the top two sides.