Men’s 4s Match reports

The Anchorians 4s put in a fantastic performance to secure a convincing 7–1 victory over Blackheath, showing great teamwork, attacking quality and determination throughout the match, despite being without a few players.

James led the scoring with an outstanding four-goal haul, while Alex, Dan and Regan each added one to round off a brilliant attacking display.

There was also a moment of comedy when Dan was awarded a penalty flick but appeared to have absolutely no idea how to take it, unfortunately missing the opportunity. Thankfully, with the team already firing on all cylinders, it didn’t prove costly!

At the other end, Blackheath’s only goal came from a short corner, leaving little the defence could realistically do about it. Aside from that, Anchorians remained solid and controlled the game well.

A special mention goes to Little T, who put in an amazing performance. He was brilliant throughout the match, and with a display like that, a goal can't be far away!

Despite missing several players, the lads stepped up and delivered a dominant performance to secure a well-deserved win. Plenty of positives to take forward!

Full-time: Anchorians 4s 7–1 Blackheath

Goals: James (4), Alex (1), Dan (1), Regan (1).

A special thanks goes to Ben Selby and James Twigg for another solid and controlled umpiring performance.

Anchs 4s came up against Bexleyheath 6s in what was always going to be an interesting game. With a few players missing and virtually a whole new back line, it was inevitably going to be a tough one. However, with the support of the Anchs Army on the sideline, we were all fired up and ready to go.

We started strongly, driving the ball down both wings, putting in some hard tackles and creating chances, with good playmaking from the likes of Alex Pope, James Zerafa, Little T, Toby and Theo.

After a series of relentless attacks, we finally earned a short corner. Having missed the first, we were rewarded with a second. A slip pass from James to Alex on the left led to a scramble in the D, before a beautifully placed finish from AL found the back of the net. 1–0 Anchs!

We continued to pile on the pressure, with Adam driving the ball forward and Dan running around like a headless chicken. Another goal felt inevitable, and then it arrived: a slap from James at the top of the D found its way into the net. 2–0 Anchs!

Feeling good going into the second half, we kept up our strong attacking play. Unfortunately, this was where the game took a turn. A short corner for Bexleyheath was thundered into the bottom-left corner. Not a lot we could do about that one. 2–1.

As the game wore on, so did we. Ollie, Regan and Ben continued running up and down the wings, and the work rate across the whole team was 10/10.

Unfortunately, some of us then decided to lose our heads, with myself and Toby picking up green cards for foul language. Sorry, boys!

Down to nine men with not long left on the clock, we unfortunately conceded another short corner, which was finished off with another belting strike. 2–2.

Still, we kept pushing, creating a few near misses, but sadly there wasn't enough time left to find a winner.

Overall, it was a brilliant performance from everyone. The work rate and effort across the team were outstanding, and we were unlucky not to come away with all three points. A hard-fought 2–2 draw.

A big thanks to the Anchs Army for their support on the sideline. There were some questionable comments from JP, but we won't go into that...

MOTM: Ollie Edkins, for his performance at left back.

Champagne moment: Also Ollie Edkins, for his incredible 40-yard reverse aerial.

Dick of the Day: You guessed it, Ollie Edkins, for verbally assaulting their right back.

Onto next week!

Match report by Ollie Edkins (it's all about me).

It was a very balanced game from the first minute to the last, with the opposition grabbing a lucky opening goal following a lapse in concentration from Anchorians.

We persisted, with some brilliant play from the likes of Tobie and his J-runs, James and his approximately 500 shots, and yours truly with some decent dribbling but questionable passing. We held firm defensively after conceding, with the opposition rarely managing to enter our D.

We continued our excellent attacking play, but sadly, they had Manuel bloody Neuer in goal, preventing us from finding the back of the net. We were all over them throughout the first half, playing high-energy, high-skill hockey and creating plenty of opportunities.

Onto the second half, and James continued firing in his trademark shots, only to be repeatedly denied by their brick wall of a goalkeeper.

We kept going regardless, relentlessly attacking their D through the likes of James, Dixie and Ollie. Wookie dictated play brilliantly in midfield, while little T ran himself ragged on the right wing.

There were a couple of minor disputes with some rather mouthy individuals on their team, with the umpire unfortunately stepping in to prevent what would have been a thoroughly deserved assault!

With 20 minutes remaining, we sacrificed a defender and went all-out attack, keeping the opposition under constant pressure. Unfortunately, every shot we fired was pounced upon by their cat-like goalkeeper.

Without their keeper, we'd certainly have scored six or more goals. Our work rate and determination cannot be questioned, and I think we can all agree that this was an unlucky and undeserved defeat.

Anchorians 4s were back for the first game of the season at home against Holcombe Heroes, ready to send a message to the rest of the league. With a slightly changed formation and in-depth tactics, we looked intense and sharp from the get-go. With Ollie running the ball into the D from the left, we surrounded the goal, waiting to capitalise on such an opportunity. This was rewarded with a first goal from none other than Fish Boy.

 We didn’t stop there, however. The intensity and pressure on and off the ball remained. Ben had taken Ollie’s position on the left due to an injury that Ollie had sustained to his foot. With a wonderful ball played from outside the D from Ben, I most definitely did get a touch on the ball, and we were up 2-0. Fish Boy was dreaming of that hat-trick.

Once again, we did not stop there. We still had a message to send. Especially Ben, who was having an excellent game on the left, constantly causing problems for the Holcombe defence and putting them under pressure. His hard work was rewarded with a wonderful strike that flew into the back of the net to send us 3-0 up. The team continued to move the ball well, maintain the pressure and, most importantly, stay disciplined defensively. We looked comfortable in possession and were creating chances every time we entered the D. We kept this lead until half-time.

 The second half saw Anchorians still dominating the pitch. High pressure remained, and our formation was proving to work extremely well both offensively and defensively. Ethan had been making fabulous saves all game, protecting our goal at all costs. With the ball beginning to enter the D for the 100th time this game, Alex box-crashed and got a shot at goal. 4-0. However, Alex went off celebrating the goal, not realising that I actually got a touch (I’m so sorry, Alex). Fish Boy is in dreamland.

As the last 15 minutes of the game took place, Holcombe saw no other option than to just whack the ball into the box and hope for the best. And, fair play to them, they managed to get two goals out of it with some well-worked chances.

Overall, a fabulous start to the season with a strong message sent towards the rest of the league. We’re ready. Our new formation and tactics proved significant, with a hat-trick from me and a wonderful goal from Ben. Start as we mean to go on, with Old Wills away next week.

I would also like to thank Keith Hopkins and Callum Hughes for umpireing positively and allowing to flow, congratulate to Will Edkins on his competitive debut yesterday. I think we all can agree that he impressed us and fitted into the team brilliantly. Hopefully, it’s the first of many appearances for the 4s!