English National League

Premier 1

Sat 27th November 2004

Sutton Coldfield v  BTExact Ipswich

Won 5-1 (C Gilliat-Smith (2), E Millar (2), H Golding) 

With Coach Sandie Lister unable to travel due to a nasty bout of flu, BTExact Ipswich travelled to Sutton Coldfield with stalwart Manager Donna Mills in charge. Mills obviously knows a thing or two as she led the visitors to a comprehensive 5-1 victory over the struggling Midlands side.

Despite the flattering score line Ipswich did not have everything their own way and in fact the bottom team is the only side to have managed to score against Ipswich on their travels, though it was an Ipswich stick that got the final touch!

Ipswich started the game brightly and ripped open the static Sutton defence. Cathy Gilliat-Smith scoring her first goal on the 4 minute mark with a bullet like shot from the top of the circle. The next goal came 3 minutes later and was set up from an interception from Emma Millar. She fed the ball to Tanya Barnard, who drew the keeper then unselfishly passed back to Millar for her to tap the ball in.  Ipswich were now cruising but rather than keeping the pressure on the shocked Sutton defence the away side seemed to drop the pace and Sutton began to gain more possession. It was during this lapse in concentration that the home side forced their only goal of the game. A hard strike across goal by Emma Cave was deflected into the roof by Ipswich defender Amy Tippen to give the bottom side renewed confidence.  Half time saw Ipswich Captain Vic Sandall read the riot act and the Suffolk based side were reminded in no certain terms what was expected of them.

Stung into action Ipswich started the 2nd half with renewed vigour and carved out several clear chances, however some weak finishing combined with some excellent goal keeping by the young Sutton keeper saw Ipswich frustrated.  The breakthrough finally arrived as Millar pounced on a short corner rebound shot, her reverse stick shot sneaking in at the near post.

The 3rd goal seemed to drain Sutton of belief and despite battling hard the home side was visibly tiring.  Ipswich's 4th goal 10 minutes later came courtesy of a Sutton foot; teenager striker Hannah Golding used her pace to great affect down the right hand side of the pitch and forced her way into the circle. Her last second cross seemed to confuse the home defence and just as Millar was waiting to pounce for her hat-trick the Sutton defender kicked the ball over the line to hand Golding her first National Premier 1 goal.

Ipswich rounded off their scoring with 2 minutes to go through a fancy bit of skill by Gilliat-Smith. A good through ball from defence picked out the Ipswich striker on the left hand side of the circle,  an injection of pace followed by a 360 degree turn left Sutton mesmerized and all that was left was for Gilliat-Smith to plant the ball in the bottom right hand corner to make it 5-1.

A satisfactory result for Ipswich who remain in 3rd place 1 point behind leaders Canterbury and 2nd placed Chelmsford, who are due to play each other next Sunday.

Ipswich's next game is at home against 2nd bottom side Doncaster.

East League Div 2 Central

Sat 27th November 2004

 Ipswich 3s v  Sudbury

Lost 3-0 ()

After a weeks rest, Ipswich were ready for a challenging match against league leaders Sudbury. The match started with Sudbury quickly settling into their team formation and the pack surging into the Ipswich half. The pressure was great, and after 20 minutes the visitors scored their first goal. During the remainder of the half, Ipswich rebalanced the match and spent much time in the Sudbury half. Characteristic individual performances from the Ipswich team stretched the Sudbury mid field and defence but Ipswich failed to score ending the half trailing 1-0. The second half continued to see much high quality hockey but the strength and persistence of the Sudbury team broke through the Ipswich defence to add 2 further goals to their lead. Ipswich were not overrun and throughout the game put up stiff opposition to the visitors. Ipswich gained many short corners but were unable to convert any. Many times Ipswich took the ball into the Sudbury ‘D’ only to be halted at the last hurdle. Both goalkeepers performed well but Ipswich’s Mary Ost again, pulled off many great saves including a penalty flick. As we approach half way through the season Ipswich need to regain their ‘winning ways’ to maintain their position in the table. 

East Premier A Division

Bedford v Ipswich

Saturday 27th November

Won 5-3  (W Turner, A Cook(2), W Faulker, S Miller)

Ipswich are sitting pretty at the top of the East Premier ‘A’ division after a tremendous victory over their closest rivals on Saturday. Ipswich travelled to unbeaten Bedford looking to maintain their 100% league record against last season’s runners up.

The game promised an exhibition of skill, pace and desire between two quality teams, and it did not fail to deliver. The game started at a frantic pace with both teams attempting to unsettle their opponents. Bedford looked the more cautious of the two teams but Ipswich failed to capitalise. A string of half chances fell to the Suffolk side but they couldn’t beat Peter Houghton in the Bedford goal. 

Ipswich were awarded a short corner on 6 minutes after the lively Will Turner was cynically fouled by Richard Evans. The normally slick routine broke down after Richard Fox failed switch the ball to Will Faulker. Bedford took full advantage and counter attacked in numbers. The ball was fired up to Chris Seward at the top of the ‘D’ with only James Walker and Keeper George Pinner to beat. The Bedford striker’s shot took a deflection off Walker’s stick past Pinner into the Ipswich Goal. 

Undeterred by going a goal down Ipswich Stuck to their game plan but the confidence gained by taking the lead was starting to show on the faces of the home side. Asif Rais and Walker marshalled the travelling rearguard as Bedford pressed higher up the pitch. However, Ipswich have looked at their most dangerous on the counter attack this season and Bedford were guilty of playing into their hands. Ipswich moved the ball forward at pace at every opportunity and with Turner and Simon Miller looking menacing in the midfield, it was no surprise they both played a part in winning a short corner after ten minutes. In a textbook routine, Cook fired home past Houghton to draw the game level.

Bedford started to look unsettled as Ipswich continued to force them into making errors. Ipswich’s second goal was a wonderful move that epitomises their season so far. Tenacious Will Turner dispossessed Martin McLoud on the half way line and moved the ball quickly to Will Faulker who in turn found Cook deep into Bedford territory. Fox pulled out wide on the left and Cook laid on the perfect chance. Sweeper Matt Bessey and Houghton were drawn into preventing the shot on goal but the Ipswich captain calmly slipped the ball to Turner, who had continued his run, to put the ball into the open net.

The threat of a Bedford equaliser was always in the air. Stout defending by Kev Brown and Andy Swindin prevented a fourth goal on a number of occasions but Bedford finally drew level through Chris Seward grabbing his second goal from close range after a quick free hit had been taken on the right wing.

With the game barley 25 minutes old, the crowd had already been treated to a festival of hockey but the half had not seen the end of the goals. Ipswich were awarded another short corner following a mazy run from Ivan Smith. Cook’s direct strike at goal was saved but Bedford failed to clear. In the melee that followed Kev Brown’s effort was cleared only as far as Will Faulker who kept his composure and flicked the ball low and hard to score his first league goal of the season.

Ipswich went into the break pleased with their performance but coach Kath Macdonald demanded her boys kept their concentration and tempo in the second half.

Bedford started the second half in lively fashion and chances were soon created. Richard Timm came close and Ipswich 'keeper George Pinner was called into action on a number of occasions. The teenage sensation was granted special dispensation to play in this fixture and had to travel from Bisham Abbey where he was taking part in England trials. There was nothing Pinner could do about Bedford’s third goal, a well worked short corner routine was expertly converted by Matt Bessey at the near post. 

Games of such gusto and passion are often settled by moments of class. As both teams looked to edge ahead in this epic encounter, Simon Miller delivered a sucker punch. Picking the ball up just inside the Bedford half, the evergreen midfielder evaded two tackles and raced to the ‘D’. The defending trio of McLoud, Bessey and Hooper all attempted to thwart Miller’s run but his slick stick skills were too good and he worked a clear opening at the top of the circle. The finish delivered what the run had deserved with Miller firing into the corner and Ipswich from then on never looked like relinquishing their lead.

Bedford tried gallantly to salvage a point but yet again with no option but to push forward, gaps in the Bedford defence didn’t go unpunished. The home team threw caution to the wind but Kev Brown brought their strongest attack to an end after another fine interception in front of Pinner. Brown slipped the ball left to Matt Walker and his first time pass to Fox released the winger to charge unchallenged deep into the Bedford half. As Harper came across to cover, Fox slipped the ball to Cook who in turn found ex-Bedford player Richard Stainthorpe on the right. Stainthorpe’s effort was blocked but the rebound fell to Cook who lifted the ball over Houghton to claim his 11th league goal of the season and an emphatic victory for Ipswich.

Ipswich are now four points clear of Bedford with a game in hand and are the only unbeaten side in the division. Ipswich’s stranglehold on the league grows ever tighter and the Henley Road based outfit look far from relinquishing it. 

East Division 2 Central

 Ipswich 3's v March Town

Saturday 27th November

Won 5-1 (Messent (2), Foster, Reed, Swindin (pen). )

AFTER LAST WEEK’s brush with the PCC you will be delighted to know that your erstwhile hack did not have his reporter’s license revoked – though he was asked to finally pay his bar bill and has subsequently had to sell a car. 

However it is with heavier heart that I must report that an unpleasant yet founded rumour has reached the objective and unbiased ears of the Gutter Press. These concerned attempts to intimidate the impartial views of the editor. So let me cast a bright beam from the spotlight of honest appraisal onto this festering team member’s dark and twisted soul. It would be churlish to name you and nor shall I. You played the position of left defence worse than you normally do (quite an achievement, by the way, to plumb such depths – we didn’t think that even you could sink to such a low level of performance) and you are a hypocrite to boot. If you preach a vulgar diatribe of getting the basics right then may I reverently suggest that it is important for you to 1) lose maybe 2 but probably 3 stone, 2) read the rule book, 3) attempt to gain a rudimentary grasp of tactics and 4) stop trying to hit 60 yard glory clearances out from the back that are clearly beyond your technical ability? You are a fat, slow and useless lump that is easily mistaken for a rather overstuffed haggis. Alternatively take your delusions of mediocrity and dribble them up your unimaginative and overworked ar- (That’s enough, Ed). 

There was also a game of hockey on this relatively dour day and, as already intimated Captain Insipid, was asked to keep the motivational tips that he learnt at the Brussels’ Branch of the Actuaries’ Deportment Club to himself and a fired up Colin Sneddon delivered a rousing cry to the troops. 

The home side set up and tucked in as is their wont and quickly began to force their will on the play. Holes were quickly plugged in the initial five after which the back four of Fat Boy Haggis, Williams, Flet and Kieron Bromley (yes sports fans, he’s back) started to make it all look very easy and Biggers was able to marshal them to good effect. Just up the pitch Storm was a whirling Djinn of a shield for the back four whilst linking smoothly into the midfield aided and abetted by the odd intelligent pass out from the defence that wasn’t struck at mach 3.7

Whilst the midfield did not have their sweetest game it would not be fair to say that they played badly. Reedie revived his roll of creating Promethean passing moves that set Fossie and the sensational Jurgen loose who, as a general rule, then streaked away to maraud the middle distance with little thought to include the midfield - Phil and Aussie looked on. Well Aussie certainly did and there was more than an element of truth in the comment that floated out from the sparse crowd (you’ll keep, Palmer) that maybe the slack Antipodean was enjoying a 25 min rest on the pitch whilst his team mates sweated. The lazy, selfish fool and no surprise to see him substituted at half time.

I digress; in something like 5 mins Ipswich were 1 up although from my view it looked as if the ball may not have been touched by a blue stick in the D (you won’t see anything from the bar. Ed) but Phil Messent claimed this, the first of 3 rather fortunate finishes that were not necessarily against the run of play. It was followed 10 minutes later when Fossie (in his own expansive words), “Hit the ball and it went in,” and finally in the first half, Reedie tidied up a shockingly shabby shortie, that March ought to have cleared a couple of times, with a nice strike that deflect into the roof.

And so, with 3 goals to nil at half time heralding the second win of the season, the anticipation was as palpable as that of Victoria Silvstedt on hearing that the alleged electric eel gene therapy on Abi Titmuss’s tongue was successful – it’s good to know that you’re coming first.

Still there was the odd wobble in the second half with the visitors pulling one back and, truth be told, March were unfortunate not to converted more especially as legs became tired and their central midfield altered tactically and ran at the blue and purple shirts a little. The Lady was smiling on the Suffolk side and the 3 goal cushion was reclaimed when Messent exquisitely deflected in a fine ball into the mixer. This was extended when Storm tucked away a p-flick after a Fossie effort was stopped with stick and chest on the line. Though quite why it hadn’t been buried into the open goal 5 whole second earlier is a little bit of a mystery.

5-1, three points and a rather content captain was quoted as saying, “My best decision was not to play Galvers and my worst was to allow Andy Cutting onto the pitch.” Mmm, that’s a novel way of building an élan but the if it’s tough at the top, it’s tougher at the bottom as the man himself acknowledge, “[It was an] inspired substitution taking me off again.” As one passing sports fan said, “…Andy Cutting was playing like a moose.”

 Ipswich Vets v Waveney

Saturday 27th November

Won 4-0 (Glading (2), Wheaton, Palmer)

With Simpson failing a late fitness test, the home team were fortunate to draft in an adequate replacement in Chris Palmer. Games against Waveney are always enjoyable and competitive, and it was nice to welcome back Ipswich old boys Phil Sampson and Trevor Crane and former Bury player Ian Belham. Ipswich dominated the early exchanges Palmer in particular causing a few problems down the left; Ipswich however, did not take the lead until mid way through the half Glading slotting home from their first penalty corner. Palmer added to the score with a fine flick from the top of the circle before being denied by a spectacular save with a similar effort. Wheaton completed the first half scoring sweeping home majestically from Glading's return pass a penalty corner.


Ipswich defenders, in particular Langton, were rock solid and Steward in goal was having a quite afternoon, but was called upon as Belham broke free but his effort flashed wide. Ipswich continued to attack, with even their defensive line of Galbraith, Whetton and Hampton finding time for forays forward creating many chances. The Waveney goalkeeper however, was in inspired form as he kept out chances from Glading and Hauxwell which seemed goal bound. Despite the pressure Ipswich enjoyed their only reward when Glading deftly converted after great work from Palmer.