The Guernsey Men’s First Team began their England Hockey Tier 2 Championships campaign with a visit to familiar territory in a rematch of last year’s Plate Quarter Final. Mindful that the previous fixture had ended in a disappointing shootout defeat, the Guernsey team were keen to put things right from minute one.

The team had a new look to it, with incoming coach Steve Eulenkamp handing out seven debuts in his first game in charge. With several players either retired, injured or unavailable there was an opportunity for others to step in and present some selection headaches for future rounds.

Guernsey started the game nervously, but soon began to get into the rhythm of the fixture, despite several players having never played a fixture together. This was the difference between the two sides throughout the first quarter, in which Guernsey didn’t create much in possession, especially when having to deal with the aggressive high press from Ashford. Defensively Guernsey world tirelessly to win the ball back and regrouped at quarter time after a much more solid five minutes.

It wasn’t long after that Guernsey struck with James ball starting a move in the left corner of the pitch. He won the ball back, before beating a man and playing forward. After a strong sprint and an offload from Luke Gavey, Ball found himself through on goal, firing directly into the corner of the Ashford goal. After a nervy delay the goal was confirmed and Guernsey continued on the front foot for the remainder of the half. Luke Gavey had a chance to make it 2-0 before half time, but hit his first time shot straight at the Ashford goalkeeper who had moved well to block.

After half time the momentum of the game changed, with Ashford continuing to press high and restricting Guernsey to the odd breakaway moment. Throughout the third quarter Guernsey absorbed pressure, with little to show for it. The best chances to extend the lead came from breakaways, with Matt Stokes having a ferocious shot saved after entering the circle unopposed from a free hit. Then there was another nearly moment as Luke Gavey couldn’t quite connect after a good move down the right hand side.

The final quarter was all about defending as Guernsey continued to be pressed hard. Despite struggling to retain possession there were some moments of relief. Strong saves from Louis Day in goal and a Man of the Match performance from Tom Nightingale at the back were the cornerstone of Guernsey’s defensive performance. Despite three late cards and Ashford substituting their keeper Guernsey kept them out and held the lead.

Reflecting on the game, Guernsey coach Steve Eulenkamp said, “ It was great to be able to close out a game 1-0. We have worked hard on this in training and it has been an area that previous Guernsey teams have needed to work on. We had lots of new players come into the side today and to see their mentality when the going got tough was very pleasing. The group has identified where we need to get better and now we have eight weeks to put that right before our next match.”

Guernsey will play in the next round of the England Hockey Tier 2 Trophy in December. The squad would like to thank Moores Hotel for their support in this fixture.