From the start Crostyx were penned in their half as the defence was relentlessly closed down by the enthusiastic forward line of Chelmsford. The hosts opened the scoring to put Chelmsford ahead in the first 15 minutes and created several more chances throughout the half but wasted them all as Crostyx re-grouped and started to exert some influence on the game. Crostyx pulled one back, after Chelmsford pressed too high, with an excellent break down the right which culminated in Hough passing to an unmarked Fulton at the top of the D who duly slotted past the keeper. At half time Crostyx were the more contented of the two teams, as Chelmsford should have been comfortably ahead having missed a hatful of chances, with the scoreline at 1-1.

In the second half, Crostyx came out fighting and dominated possession. Waves of attacks from Styx followed but congestion in the D, some valiant goal-keeping and some poor final passes meant that Crostyx could not fully press home their advantage. However, Tedder eventually managed to break the deadlock by converting the third short corner with a well-directed drag flick that went within the left post.

A combination of tiredness, some Crostyx players not concentrating and taking for granted their lead then opened the door for Chelmsford who struck immediately from the restart as an injury to the otherwise active Dempsey led to a regroup without any subs. In a repeat of Styx’s first goal, Chelmsford broke down their right to shoot past the prone Mayo leaving most of the Crostyx players shell-shocked. Soon after, another piece of naïve, hapless and sleepy defending led to Crostyx conceding a third goal which by then led to a very dejected Crostyx.

Despite Chelmsford being down to 10 men for the last five minutes Crostyx failed to find the telling pass in to the D to create the equaliser and left the pitch to rue what might have been. The result, especially for the younger players, served as a timely reminder that to win a game of hockey you have to keep playing until the final whistle.

This Saturday, the M3s take on Romford M2s at home and Crostyx will need to ensure that the lessons learned from the previous two games are understood and put in to practice.