BDHC versus Waltham Forest

With relegation further out of reach than it has been all season, Bourne Deeping roused themselves to travel south for a late pushback against Waltham Forest on Saturday.
The going was tough, with the Dragons taking some younger players to gain them experience - excitingly for them, 1st XI debuts on the Olympic pitch at Lee Valley - and Waltham Forest certainly had the better of the first half, scoring three breakaway goals to ensure a comfortable half-time lead.
The Dragons changed their approach after half-time, looking to make room down the right hand side in particular and this paid dividends; a period of possession and heavy pressure was only denied a goal when Waltham’s post man somehow denied Joe Youngs from a deflected short corner.
James Tavernor and Andrew Kind bossed the midfield in that period, defying the lack of rotation in those positions to consistently be in the right place.
As so often happens, a period of pressure with nothing to show for it ended in another counter-attack goal for the home side. Disputes raged about where the key free hit was taken from but the umpires were not for moving so the goal stood.
The Dragons, with nothing to lose at this point, surged forward again but were caught one more time on the break before the end.
A brave effort that deserved more; perhaps a line that sums up the season.