Men’s 4s Match reports

Anchorians Men’s 4s were back at home this week to face a spirited Blackheath side, and from the first whistle, the intensity was clear. The home team came out firing, with Adam breaking the deadlock early, slotting home a composed finish to put Anchs 1–0 up.

The momentum continued, and John soon doubled the lead with a clinical strike that showed his watching son exactly how it’s done. But the real story of the first half was between the posts. Ethan was in inspired form, pulling off some jaw-dropping saves, including an unbelievable triple stop that had the crowd cheering in disbelief. His heroics ensured that Anchs went into the break with a solid 2–0 advantage.

The second half saw Anchorians continue to dominate. Mark was in sensational form, bagging both the third and fourth goals with precision and composure, leaving the opposition chasing shadows. George then got his name on the scoresheet, celebrating his first ever goal in style and cementing his place in the Anchs history books.

Regan also made his debut for the Men’s 4s and impressed throughout, showing promise and composure beyond his experience.

With a clean sheet secured thanks largely to Ethan’s incredible saves, the team could celebrate a confident 5–0 victory at home. Unsurprisingly, Man of the Match went to Ethan, whose bravery and reflexes kept Blackheath at bay and set the tone for a dominant performance.

A big day for the Men’s 4s, capped off by five excellent goals, a rock-solid defence, and plenty of firsts to remember.

A massive thank you to Ben and Dave for umpiring.

Theo’s Match Report

After a week’s rest, Anchorians travelled away to face Folkestone, who were sitting top of the league.

Unfazed by the challenge, Anchs started strongly and set the tone early on. A great passage of play saw Adam finish the move and put us into the lead.

Despite controlling possession for large parts of the first half, Folkestone managed to score twice in quick succession, taking a 2–1 lead into the break.

Undeterred, Anchs came out firing again in the second half, with every player giving 100%. Some fantastic interceptions and remarkable goal-line clearances from Ollie helped keep Folkestone at bay.

Lacky, who had worked tirelessly throughout the game driving the team forward, found the equaliser to bring the score level at 2–2.

The Anchs spirit continued to grow and we pushed on in search of more. Sustained pressure in the D paid off when I managed to get a stick in and nip the ball past the keeper to put Anchs ahead 3–2.

As the game drew towards its conclusion – after a few stoppages while the umpires had a catch-up of their own – Folkestone had one final chance on goal. Unfortunately, it resulted in a penalty flick, which they converted to make it 3–3.

An amazing game with everyone giving their all, showing fantastic teamwork and resilience, leaving Folkestone rattled and perhaps a little lucky to come away with a draw.

Much like parting the Red Sea, Anchorians 4s split Canterbury’s midfield and defence time and time again this week. Sadly, unlike the Israelites, we just couldn’t quite make it all the way to the promised land — or in our case, the back of the net.

Canterbury struck early from a short corner, scoring with a clean hit despite us being firmly instructed pre-match that we were not to concede under any circumstances. Nice one 👍🏻

The Men’s 4s weren’t having it. We were hungry. Possibly not as hungry as Ollie, who has apparently vowed not to eat until we win. Best of luck to him.

We piled on the pressure, creating chance after chance. George hovered around their goalkeeper like a devoted disciple, desperately unlucky not to convert. Adam unleashed a filthy strike toward the side netting, forcing a dramatic save from their keeper, and we delivered balls into the D better than next-day delivery — unfortunately Toby, Kyle, George and Dan couldn’t quite apply the finishing touch at the back post.

Half time.

We started the second half strongly, launching wave after wave of attacks (I’ve seen fewer waves at a royal coronation). Still, the goal wouldn’t come.

Instead, we took the opportunity to practise our short corners. Repeatedly. Nigel will be receiving a formal request for additional training sessions. There were promising variations — slips to Mark and Dan, and straight strikes from Ollie and Alex — but nothing quite stuck.

We did think we’d equalised when Alex hammered a straight strike from the top of the D which deflected in off a defender’s stick. The crowd cheered. Smiles all round. Rumour has it Dan even performed a backflip. Unfortunately, Alex then measured his starting position and discovered he was a whole foot outside the D. Goal disallowed. Devastation.

As wrote in , “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” Perhaps that was Roger’s thinking when, with five minutes to go, he replaced Ethan with yet another attacking player.

If the plan was chaos, chaos we achieved.

A final wonder ball from Adam deflected off the keeper and sparked a full-scale scramble in the D. Players from both sides launched themselves at it — I’ve seen tidier collapsed rugby scrums. Somehow, despite bodies flying everywhere, we couldn’t force it over the line.

Full time: Anchorians 0 – 1 Canterbury

Man of the Match went to Alex, though every player put in a massive shift and were desperately unlucky not to get something from the game.

We go again next week:

Anchorians 4s vs The Tipsy Tandoors
(We should win this one.) 💪

Author: Tobie

Anchorians travelled away to Old Wills and started exactly as they meant to go on — strong. Anchs pushed hard early and had a few shots on goal.

Against the run of play, Old Wills broke away and managed to pass neatly around the keeper to take the lead.

Play went back and forth, with the midfield and forwards working tirelessly to create runs and scoring opportunities. Sadly, shots drifted just wide, and one even bounced off the post.

Eventually we thought we had equalised. Both umpires initially agreed it was a goal, but an argument that the ball “hadn’t gone five” led to the decision being overturned. If anything, that only boosted morale.

After the half-time talk, Anchs came out stronger, with most of the play taking place in Old Wills’ half. Our defence worked tirelessly to keep their resident goal-hanger quiet.

The hard work paid off when a great pass into Cheyne led to a well-earned equaliser.

We battled to the end, with Ethan pulling off one — possibly multiple — crucial saves late on.

Final score: 1–1.

We kept our heads, stayed a threat throughout, and the wins will come. Great game all round.

Man of the Match went to myself… but honestly it could’ve been anyone.

1-2

The Men’s 4s were away at Blackheath, playing a team currently third in the table, for another late pushback.

The week started with us thinking we only had 10 players, but we ended up taking 15 for an inconveniently long trip for a late PB. This is evidence of the players’ determination to be involved and their commitment to ensuring the club gets four teams out every week, supporting all areas of the club — so thank you to everyone.

It wouldn’t be the 4s if we came out of the blocks firing, so in traditional style we started slowly and took time to impose our game on the opposition. This led to us going 1–0 down to a good goal from a strong opposition team.

We slowly built into the game and began creating opportunities, with Toby causing problems on the right and being unlucky not to get a shot away. At the other end, there was a real scramble, with Ethan pulling off three or four excellent saves and Flinn blocking a certain second goal.

As the half progressed, we got John H and Ollie more involved, always offering width and forward momentum. We used our subs well, and with our high energy levels and style of play we finished the half on top, feeling we were more than just in the game against top-of-the-table opposition.

The second half started with the game finely balanced, with both sides attacking well and earning short corners. Early on, Mark was shown a green card for pointing out that an opposition player had deliberately stopped the ball with his foot to prevent what would have been a three-on-one attack. We earned the foul, but Mark was frustratingly carded for appealing. This was later upgraded to a red due to further dissent.

Playing with 10 seemed to bring the team together even more. We stuck with three up front and went for the win. George and Toby put in huge running efforts as we continued to press, but injuries began to add up, with Theo and Wookie both picking up leg muscle strains from the extra mileage.

A special mention to Alex, who made his first match appearance in 18 months after injury (please don’t tell Erica he played).

With 10 minutes remaining, the ball fell to Cheyne in the D — apologies to whoever set him up, as I can’t recall in all the excitement — and he struck it cleanly. All we heard was the ball ricocheting off the wooden backboards: 1–1.

We continued to press, and the opposition goalkeeper was extremely lucky to remain on the pitch after a dangerous late lunge on Cheyne that prevented a deserved second goal. With only minutes left, Blackheath broke away and we were badly outnumbered at the back, but with the goal open Ollie managed to block a certain goal off the line.

The game finished 1–1, and although we have just one point from a possible nine, that does not reflect our performances or commitment.

Let’s push on together. Let’s make training count, as we need to improve our return from the short corners we are earning. MOM votes were split between Ethan and the eventual winner Ollie — but well done to all for the effort.

At the end we lost 1–2, but in my opinion this does not explain the game. Tonight the Men’s 4s were at home against New Beccs, who included three Men’s 1s players.

This may have been the best loss we have had. We ran, pressed, tackled, and passed well throughout. We created chances, and in my biased opinion the opposition goalkeeper had the performance of his season. We created multiple scoring opportunities but could not capitalise.

The game continued like this until Mark R played a great ball to the back post to find Ben M, who put us 1–0 up. New Beccs continued to play breakaway hockey and had success just before the break to make it 1–1.

I challenged the boys to have their best second half, which I have no doubt we did. We pressed hard, we pressed as a team, and oh how many chances we created — but no goals. What did we need to do?

With little time on the clock, I switched the team to press for the win. We had lots of possession and opportunities that we could not convert. I’m trying not to sound miffed, but the three players they had who had already played for their Men’s 1s earlier in the morning (shirt numbers from GMS) made the difference. A breakaway goal left us 2–1 down.

I mention the opposition players only to highlight the effort teams have to go to just to play against us. We are the Men’s 4s at Anchorians — we are here to provide opportunities for all players to grow, play hockey, and develop. And yet, how well have we shown that we are not to be underestimated?

The performances of 2026 have shown we are here not just to survive, but to put teams to the sword. I’m buzzing for the second half of the season. Let’s go and get the results we deserve.

MOM was very close, but well deserved for Ollie Edkins. Can’t wait for next week.

2-1

6-0

6-2

The 0–6 scoreline does not, in my opinion, reflect this game. We played a heavily loaded Holcombe team who felt the need to bring 15 players, with at least four who play at a much higher level. This seems unfair, but we took it as another opportunity to show how well we can play.

We pressed the opposition and passed the ball well, using our width to great effect and giving Holcombe real problems. We were unlucky not to get an early goal. It was tough to be two goals down at half-time, but it was great to hear the positives from the team, which just shows the strong character of everyone involved.

The game played out with Holcombe’s numbers ultimately making the difference.

I’d like to finish the match report with some mentions: great to have Dixie back playing; Flinn having his best game so far this season; Ethan H dominating his D and pulling off numerous saves; Ollie and John H having great games at left and right back and really competing; and Theo and Toby, who are fitting into the team and system well and pushing hard.

Lots of names were thrown in for the MOM votes, but Ethan H deservedly got the most 👏👏👏👏.

Home game again next week — can’t wait to get back to winning ways. Thanks all, I really appreciate the support, development, and effort you are all showing.

Men’s 4s travelled to Blackheath with a focus on starting sharply and cutting out early goals — and for once, we delivered. Some excellent early play saw us move the ball well before Drew rounded the diving keeper to put us 0–1 up.

Sadly, the bright start didn’t last. Three quick-fire goals from Blackheath swung the game, leaving us 3–1 down at the break. After regrouping and tweaking the lineup, we came out positively and began to create chances.

John Cameron caused chaos in the D, leading to what looked like a legitimate goal — until it was disallowed thanks to a theatrical dive and scream from their goalkeeper. As we searched for the imaginary sniper responsible for taking him down, John received a green card for politely suggesting the GK should be embarrassed. Down to 10 men, but you wouldn’t have known it.

We earned another short, and despite a slightly wayward injection the ball found Mark, whose shot was stopped on the line by a defender’s foot. Penalty flick awarded. Drew stepped up and buried it for 3–2.

We pressed high and hard, but then Blackheath introduced a mystery substitute — a player who proceeded to glide past everyone and set up two goals. Some might say “ringer”; others might say “panic substitution.”

The highlight of the day, though, came late on. A breakaway move saw Theo arrive perfectly in the D. His first effort was saved, but he followed up clinically, slotting the rebound into the corner for his first goal. The smile said everything — the team was buzzing for him.

Final score: 5–3 to Blackheath, but a gritty, spirited performance.

MOM: Theo — for his hard work, composure, and brilliant first goal.

Men’s 4s faced top-of-the-table Folkestone in our first live-streamed match — huge thanks to John Cameron for setting up and running the stream for the whole day.

After a pre-match reminder to start sharply and avoid soft goals… we unfortunately conceded three within the opening 15 minutes. Once we settled, though, we began to play some really good hockey, dominating midfield and moving the ball well. Pressure turned into several short corners, and Ben Mummery beat the first runner before flicking goal-bound — the ball hit the defender’s chest on the line and went in for our first.

At the break we had a rousing team talk (fully recorded thanks to the mic!), and we carried that energy straight into the second half. Another short corner saw Ben set up Mark Richardson, who slapped the ball into the far corner to make it 2–3 and spark real belief of a comeback.

We pushed hard for the equaliser, but despite long spells of control — and clear signs of Folkestone hanging on — we couldn’t quite find the third. Their celebrations at the final whistle showed how much we’d pushed them.

Thanks to John’s stream, the stats confirmed it:

58% possession overall

63% possession in the second half

A huge effort.

MOM: Simon “Wookie” Pickard — another towering, composed performance at the back.

Men’s 4s travelled to Canterbury with a bare 11 and, in classic Anchorians fashion, gifted the hosts a sloppy goal within the first 30 seconds. Frustrated, we regrouped quickly and began to wake up.

As the half settled, we started to dominate midfield with Mark Richardson spraying passes around the pitch and splitting their defensive lines. We built multiple promising attacks but couldn’t quite find the equaliser, while our work-rate as a team restricted Canterbury to very few chances of their own.

At the break we talked about pressing higher and putting their defence under real pressure — and that’s exactly what we did. The second half became a largely one-sided affair in our favour, but despite sustained pressure we just couldn’t force the breakthrough. Against the run of play, Canterbury nicked a second, and that’s how the game finished: a 0–2 loss to a very experienced side with a standout goalkeeper.

A special mention goes to Matt Jarvis on his 4s debut, slotting seamlessly into left-back and putting in a great shift. Despite the result, the performance left us genuinely encouraged — another week with a different keeper and we likely win that game. Lots of positives to build on.

MOM: A tight battle between Mark, Theo and Toby, with Theo taking it for his relentless pressing and excellent work rate.

Anchs welcomed local rivals OWHC, who were riding high in the league, on Saturday. With a team talk from stand-in skipper Mark, Anchs set about their work and generally controlled the game from the start.

A fantastic run from Dan saw him slip the ball to Adam, who buried it into the back of the net — 1–0 Anchs. More pressure paid off as Ben took his chance to make it 2–0. Some great saves from Ethan ensured Anchs went into half-time with a solid two-goal lead.

The second half was a cagey affair, but credit to Anchs for keeping their heads and letting their hockey do the talking. Some excellent marshalling at the back from Wookie helped maintain the lead, and a superb flick from Mark from a penalty corner saw Anchs go three up.

A great win, with some standout performances all around. Roll on the next game!

Today the Men’s 4s were away at Bexleyheath for a warm midday pushback. It looked like an even encounter at first, with both teams fielding youthful sides — meaning our usual advantage in pace wasn’t quite as strong.

But today, our team organisation became our greatest asset. The 4-3-3 shape worked perfectly, giving us numerical advantages all over the pitch.

Ultimately, we came away with a 1–6 win — our best team performance to date. The opposition’s defence will be relieved they only have to face Tyler twice a season; he walked away with five goals and was deservedly voted Man of the Match. The sixth goal came from Ben Mummery, after a perfectly placed (definitely not half-shot) pass from Rog Pope. Anyone who knows Rog will just be impressed he was even in the opposition D! 😆

It’s hard to single out individuals today because the whole team shone in every position. However, a special mention should go to Nigel McDonald — his training is showing real results. Our juniors and overall team play have come on leaps and bounds, and the skills and structure he’s been developing are clearly showing in matches.

Anchorians 4’s were at home this week v Blackheath

Well it’s true to say this was a game of 2 halves, less said about the first half the better, but needless to say we were 0-3 down at half time with a very disorganised and slow start.

We took the half time break to get organised and played far more like the team of the last few weeks in the 2nd half.

Tyler Marks⁩ got 2 goals to start the come back, we applied pressure and forced the keeper into numerous saves. Special mention to Toby Bunting who made his debut for the men’s team this Saturday and was unlucky not to score at the back post from another one of Tyler’s crosses.

We came back to 3-4 with a great strike from the top of the D from James Zerafa⁩. We pushed but could not find the equaliser that we no doubt deserved after such a change in performance from the 1st half.

MOM was split between Daniel Markham⁩ and Tyler Marks⁩ who between them probably ran more miles than both teams combined. Thanks to Keith and Paul for umpiring a very windy game.

Men’s 4’s were away today at New Beccs.

Sticking with our 4-3-3 system we are really starting to play to our shape and strengths with lots of keen juniors ensuring our energy levels stay high.

We had a bare eleven this week so discussed how we managed ourselves, this did not prevent us making a fast start. Putting New Beccs under pressure with lead to a great individual goal from ⁨Ben Mummery⁩ a dribble into the D and a great reverse strike into the bottom corner 0-1 to Anchs, only for Ben to try and repeat the effort 5 mins later. Slowly though New Beccs got back into the game and they pressured our goal with numerous short corners but our Tuesday night short corner defending practice paid off. As the end of the half got closer our lack of subs started to show and We conceded a scrappy goal from top of the D, so half time was 1-1.

I worried we would a deflated bunch as I walked over for the half time chat but I couldn’t be more wrong, the team was up beat, feeling confident that we were creating chances and with a second wind we went again.

We were passing the ball well and all were contributing, special mention to Robin⁩ who had received a nasty shoulder injury and his tireless runs the full length of the pitch were showing, but he dug deep not wanting to put us down to 10 players, great spirit. We had several good attacks with David Shepherd having a ball deflected a certain goal off the line with a foot but only a short corner being given.

The pace of the game was starting to show on both teams but with 5 mins to go Anchs broke away down the wing with Dan Markham and Braedon continually giving the extra effort to compete at both ends of the pitch, they found space down the right and with Ben M waiting in the D to finish another great goal (3 goals in 2 games) 1-2. The game ended with yet another short corner being awarded to New Beccs and yet another fine save from man of the match Ethan Hopkins⁩. 1-2 was the final result, a hard fought well deserved, extremely enjoyable win.

Well it’s great to be back!

3 juniors making there full debut’s, a new team shape, and a strong team performance.

Men’s 4’s started the season at home v a strong Sutton Valence men’s 3’s team team. The initial exchanges were relatively even but it soon became clear this was a stronger team than the SV team we faced last season. Anchs took the lead with a great break away goal from James Z - a reverse strike into the top corner, an early contender for goal of the season (for the 4’s). Sutton Valence though looked dangerous in attack and earnt numerous short corners with Ethan Hopkins⁩ looking like a seasoned keeper keeping the ball out of the net. Ultimately the number of short corners paid off for SV and they went 1-2 up by half time.

We had a great half time team chat and were encouraged by the way we were playing.

We started strong again, the chances started to come. We looked strong and pressed well, forcing SV into errors on the ball. 10 mins into the 2nd half and Ben Mummery⁩ dribbled from the the 23 into the D and scored the equaliser to make it 2-2. Our shape was proving pivitol with Theo Jarvais⁩ finding space in the final third and almost scoring on his debut (next time Theo, keep it up mate). SV starting pushing hard for the win causing the defence more and more trouble, Flinn Sindrey⁩ was starting to find his feet in the game and made some important timely tackles. I can only apologise but after 60 mins of running up front and midfield I was completing one of my “recovery” runs and missed our third goal, I’m sure the scorer will let me know (I think James Z) 3-2.

What an end to the game the extra SV subs started to show and again they started collecting short corners, with 2 mins to go they managed to convert an attempt 3-3, final result.

Well what a return to hockey, well done to all. Players player went to Robin Coyle⁩ for a really solid performance at left back.