Sun.13th Feb.2011:- Barford Tigers v Morpeth Reivers
Score:- 3-2
Scorers:- John Thompson,Colin
Reivers traveled to Birmingham to play Barford Tigers aptly named as they were just as ferocious as that wild beast. It was a telling indictment when the neutral umpires spoke to Eric and I just before the start and said” We will protect you as much as we can” I think they tried and I dread to think what would have happened had they been weak umpires.To be fair to Barford they were decent hockey players who really did not need that element to their game.
Reivers started the game well taking the mach to their hosts and went a goal up after about 15 minutes from a super strike by Jonathan Thompson at a short corner routine. We held on until the last 10 minutes of the first half when Barford against the run of play somehow scrambled the ball into the net. 1-1 at the break.
The second half was to say the least testing Barford scored again to take the lead and then used tactics that Attilla the Hun would have been proud of to hold that lead. At this point several Green cards were produced none of them to Reivers players and it is dissapointing that cards of a different colour were not produced.
Barford increased their lead to 3-1 but Reivers dug in and some tactical positional changes saw a sustained period of pressure from the team resulting several short corners, from one of these Barford keeper saved an Evans goal bound flick from ripping the top corner of the net.
Not to be denied though Reivers fought on, and from one of the, by now, frequent shorts Colin hammered the ball home. 3 -2, Ten minutes to go and the pressure was all on the home side as Reivers sought the life saving equalizer. It is significant that during this period Barford players were urging the umpire to blow for time, showing how nervous they were of being pegged back.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and we will have to wait till next year.
Thanks to all those who made the trip and fought so gamely against a bunch of Tigers.
