Hard Work Friendly

A drizzly morning at Churt for the Inter-Divisional friendly against Churt Hawks. Although 3rd in Div 5, with Hook only having 8 players available, it was always going to be a tough game and one of having to be disciplined and also try to conserve energy whenever possible.

Churt kindly offered to lend a player, which was duly accepted, if for no other reason than to have an extra body doing some running - with all the drizzle, it was a heavy pitch.

Hook made a decent start and, for the entire first half, only allowed Churt a very small number of forays in to the Hook half - although one of those resulted in a goal. Hook on the other hand made some opportunities but either hit the bar, forced the save or were narrowly off-target. Notably though, Hook were incredibly quiet.

A reminder at half time to be more vocal, keep (or in some players' cases, get) the work rate up whilst still balancing the use of energy, and the midfield to reduce the gap between them and the defenders - the game was certainly still for the taking.

The second half certainly saw better communication, albeit still quiet by the standards of recent weeks, and the work rate, particularly from 4 of the outfield players was fantastic. However, there were some lapses in some of the basics, such as goal-side for throw-ins, pressing, and quick moving of the ball. There was also a lack of learning during the game as there was a lot of repetition of throw-ins going over heads and goal kicks not reaching players who did nothing to adapt for the next one.

Overall, a hard game on a heavy pitch that Hook were certainly capable of winning, even with only 8, had they played to their usual standard. Great efforts from the defensive and central midfield pairs, and the GK kept good focus despite not actually being that busy.