Oxton pegged back by Leeds in final match

Apr 6 2011 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

OXTON hockey club men’s first team travelled to Leeds University for their final game of the season in the Northern Counties Premier Division.

With the game taking place after the official season end, several players were missing so some younger members were drafted in with George Wake and Callum Steel making their first team debuts.

Leeds were intent on getting a lot of men forward but when their attacks broke down there was plenty of space for Oxton’s midfield of Ben Russell, Tom Hughes and Jonathan Hodgkinson to flood into with increasing frequency.

After a couple of good chances had been squandered, Oxton took the lead: Hodgkinson picked out Dave Bailey with a fine long range pass, Bailey beat one defender before squaring it for Callum Steel who calmly slotted the ball home for his debut goal.

Oxton now dominated the game and when Hodgkinson hit another sublime pass, this time to Antony Rawlinson, Oxton’s skilful forward approached the keeper one-on-one only to be crudely upended.

The umpire inevitably awarded a penalty flick and Captain Gordon Moore stepped up to take it, leaving the keeper no chance with his 23rd goal of the season.

Oxton sought to take the sting out of the game, but defender Couttie was hospitalised with a broken finger, leaving them with the bare 11 players.

Leeds pressed hard and were rewarded with a series of short corners – George Wake saved one particularly well, but the home side scored from another to leave the half time score 1-2.

The second half was an uphill struggle for Oxton given their lack of substitutes and whilst they started to tire in the warm weather, their predicament worsened with the team going down to 10 men twice for needless sin-binnings.

Oxton finally succumbed to a controversial equaliser and the well contested game finished 2-2.

Whilst Oxton were frustrated at losing a 2-0 lead, the efforts, particularly of some of the less experienced team members, were laudable. Oxton finished the season a well-deserved third in the league.

NICK FLYNN