Match Report - Premier League Phase 1 – Peterborough versus Kings Lynn -
21st October 202 Premier League – Phase 1
Peterborough versus Kings Lynn
21st October 2023 at Bushfields Leisure Centre, Peterborough 

Peterborough Squad

1. Anthony Williams (Goalkeeper – 2nd Half)
2. James Berry
3. Jake Reed
4. Josh Aaltonen
5. Michael Carter (Captain)
6. Harry Hillam
7. Luca Oakley
8. Tom Hillam

     10. Tyler Salmon (GK – 1st Half)

 Kings Lynn Squad
4  Josh Horn
5  Jack Tucker
6  Harvey Dugdale
7  Josh Taylor (Captain)
8  Jamie Griffin
10 Josh Roberts (Goalkeeper – 1st 40 minutes of match)
13 Ryan Barnes
14 Owen Norris
30 Imogen Senter (GK – last 10 minutes of match)
77 Beth McCarthy 

Referees:- 

• Steve Taylor
• Alan Adams

If anyone was in any doubt as to whether or not there would be any subdued, negative reaction to Kings Lynn's unsuccessful venture to playing at the Roller Hockey Champions League in Spain recently then you only had to arrive early at the Bushfields Leisure Centre at Peterborough to watch their match preparations for this game.  They arrived almost two hours before the planned start time and started their warm up routines straight away.  Amongst their differing activities was a game of football tennis.  That was an interesting spectacle.  Well.....all I can say is that with only one or two exceptions they need to stick to their given sport of roller hockey, at which they excel, and leave football to other more accomplished footballing athletes!  However, the overall message was clear....we are here to do a professional job and to take all of the match points.

The match started with both teams probing for that elusive first opportunity to create the chance to hit the target.  It eventually fell to Kings Lynn in the fifth minutes as they took the lead.  An excellent screening block by Owen Norris created the space for Josh Taylor to unleash one his trademark slapshots which flew into the top right-hand corner of the Peterborough net. 
Peterborough 0 Kings Lynn 1

Both teams continued to provide fast driving runs at their opponents' defensive lines and from one of those Peterborough levelled the score.  A short pass from Michael Carter to Luca Oakley started the move.  Luca quickly attacked down the right-hand side and from his cross rink pass to the unmarked Harry Hillam, in front of goal, a despairing lunge and fall by a Kings Lynn player meant that he had played the ball while down on the floor.  A penalty was duly awarded and was confidently smashed home by Jake Reed.  
Peterborough 1 Kings Lynn 1

With 6 minutes left in the first half two of Kings Lynn's players linked up to score a fine goal.  The move started behind the Kings Lynn goal with Ryan Barnes setting off up the rink at speed.  He ran unchecked into the Peterborough half and exchanged a quick one two pass with Jack Tucker who placed the ball into Ryan's path and he confidently lifted his shot over the diving Tyler Salmon the Peterborough net.  
Peterborough 1 Kings Lynn 2

​Half Time:- Peterborough 1 Kings Lynn 2
 
With 8 minutes gone in the second half Kings Lynn increased their lead.  A Peterborough shot was charged down and the ball bounced kindly to Jack Tucker.  He sprinted forward, along with Owen Norris who was up in support which created a two against one situation with a Peterborough defender, and Jack's timely cross rink pass allowed Owen to sweep the ball under the diving Anthony Williams in the Peterborough goal. 
Peterborough 1 Kings Lynn 3

Two minutes later and Kings Lynn increased their lead still further.  Jack Tucker intercepted a pass in front of his own goal and set up at speed to attack the Peterborough goal.  He found himself pushed wide of the goal but somehow he managed to get a hopeful shot away from an acute angle and somehow the ball squirmed under the goalie's body and trickled over the line.  
Peterborough 1 Kings Lynn 4

The next action saw a Peterborough player given a blue card for a robust challenge on Owen Norris against the barrier.  Josh Taylor stepped up to take the direct hit only to see his shot saved by the Peterborough goalie.  This meant that Peterborough were still having to play through the powerplay period with 3 outer rink players.  Kings Lynn patiently moved the ball around the Peterborough players using the full width of the rink.  A gap appeared and a fine pass from Beth McCarthy found Harvey Dugdale in front of goal and he swept his shot into the net.  
Peterborough 1 Kings Lynn 5

At this point in the match with Kings Lynn comfortable with their 4 four goals lead they changed over goalkeepers with Imogen Senter taking over from Josh Roberts.  Imogen must have been wondering what she had let herself in for as Peterborough hit four slapshots in just over a minute at her goal.  She dealt confidently with each one....much to the delight of the large travelling group of Kings Lynn supporters.  However, with 2 minutes left James Berry found a space to hit a fine shot past Imogen to score Peterborough's second goal.  
Peterborough 2 Kings Lynn 5
 
The final action of the game saw a direct shot awarded for a stick hook by a Peterborough player against a Kings Lynn attacker.  The direct was taken by Jack Tucker but unfortunately for him his shot was saved by the Peterborough goalie.

Final score – Peterborough 2 Kings Lynn 5
 
Arthur Corr’s (Peterborough Coach) Man of the Match:- James Berry - injected pace and aggression to the home team's play and scored a fine goal.

Kings Lynn defend so well as a single unit.  They are difficult to break down and if you can get past one defender there is always a second quickly covering to close any gaps.  On the occasions that Peterborough saw sight of goal their shots were comfortably dealt with by Josh Roberts in the Kings Lynn goal.  All of the Kings Lynn Team are accomplished "screeners".  They are all adept at screening an opponent to create that valuable space to allow a team mate to advance into a forward position. 

Peterborough still have a three goal gap to close to match up to Kings Lynn.  When they last met in April earlier this year the score was 6-3.  However, although not playing at their best in this match there were some positive steps forward and at the end of the first half (which was Peterborough's best period of play as they matched their experienced opponents) you could see that Kings Lynn "knew they were in a match" that they were going to have to work hard to be victorious in.  It proved to be the two quick Kings Lynn goals early in the second half which put them firmly in the "driving seat" in this game.

One final word about one of the referees, Steve Taylor.  He must have wondered why he was in the "direct firing line" throughout this match.  He showed nimble, ballet like balance to avoid being struck several times by deflections and wayward shots.  A tough job that shows that you must have full concentration at all times.

PRHC have two teams competing at the under-20s level this year. A young team some under-17s some first year under-20s they are the white team then there is the blue team consisting of only five players and two goalkeepers but experienced at this level and all playing Premier League hockey for the past year or so.
And their first game of the season was against each other. The whites played well against the older team but not the bigger in height the whites although younger appeared taller and bigger than the older blue team. The blues won the game 9-0. The whites played well and showed a lot of potential, but were no match for the blue team's skill and speed.
The Blues' second game of the day was against ECU. Peterborough dominated throughout taking a lead of 8-0 but it was ECU that scored the last two goals of the game a direct converted by Diogo Motta and a shot from the same player from distance which looked like it was going wide until Josh put his stick on it and deflected it into his own net.
Final Score: 8-2
The whites next game was against the same ECU side and the young Peterborough side fancied their chances after seeing ECU lose their opening two games although against two strong teams in the Blues and Letchworth. Peterborough would go in at the break 2-1 up and hopes were high for a first win at this level. But within a few minutes of the restart ECU scored two goals to take the lead 3-2. The Whites however never gave up. They battled till the end and scored three unanswered goals to win the game by a score of 5-3.
Last game of the day was the game everybody had been anticipating Peterborough Blue Vs Letchworth two of the fancied teams for the title this year the game was very competitive with Letchworth taking an early lead before being cancelled out by Tom Hilliams first of the season. But Letchworth struck back to take the lead again to lead at the break 2-1 (I think).
The second half was a tense affair Letchworth were looking like they were going to hold on for the points but a foul on Josh Aaltonen in the final minutes of the game resulted in a penalty for Peterborough. Josh took the penalty himself only to see his effort saved by Louie Allen in the Letchworth goal but the referee at the other end deemed that the Letchworth players had moved too quickly off the line and ordered a re-take.
The Letchworth bench was incensed and after a few angry exchanges the referees calmed the situation down. This time Josh made no mistake hitting a hard shot into the back of the net and rescuing point for the Blues.
Final score 2-2
  

Match Report – by Terry Oakley
Premier League
Peterborough versus Soham
7th October 2023 at Bushfields Leisure Centre, Peterborough 

Peterborough Squad 

1 Anthony Williams (Goalkeeper - 1st 30 minutes of match)
2 James Berry
3 Tom Hillam
4 Josh Aaltonen
5 Michael Carter (Captain)
6 Thomas Semilore
7 Luca Oakley
10 Tyler Salmon (Goalkeeper - 2nd 20 minutes of match)

Soham Squad

1   Ruben Alam
2   James Neville
3   Connor Adams
4   Zak Osborne
5   Lewis Cakebread
7   Scott Neville
11 Jensen Richards
12 Martin Walker
13 Darcy Quinn Sekyt

Referees:- Steve Taylor and Michael Baker. 

Peterborough were off to great start within the first 3 minutes.  Michael Carter went on one of his trademark runs down the right wing and as the space appeared he hit a fine reverse slapshot that entered the net between the keeper and the near post. 
Peterborough 1 Soham 0

This was quickly followed by a good break forward by Lewis Cakebread and his flicked shot looked goalbound until Anthony Williams, in the Peterborough goal, acrobatically turned and deflected the ball over his bar.  Another good forward move by Soham resulted in another flick shot, this time by Scott Neville which just missed the goal.  Lewis Cakebread was again in the next piece of action and his slapshot was blocked by the goalie only for it to fall into the path of James Neville and he quickly despatched the rebound past the Peterborough goalkeeper.   
Peterborough 1 Soham 1

Peterborough responded with some fine interplay between Josh Aaltonen and Luca Oakley and the final pass was quickly moved across the Soham goal to James Berry at the back post but he swept his shot just wide of the goal.  As the seconds ticked by it looked like the first half would finish drawn.  However, with 11 seconds to go Peterborough were caught napping as Martin Walker was allowed to strongly muscle past his opponent and finish with a strong slapshot into the top corner of the net. 
Peterborough 1 Soham 2

The surprising thing for me in this first half was how few shots were made by either side.  The play tended to be concentrated in the middle third of the rink with neither side able to create the space for consistent shooting at goal.

Half Time:- Peterborough 1 Soham 2

Peterborough, again, started the new half at pace.  Luca Oakley burst past a Soham defender and as the keeper came forward to narrow his shooting angle he placed his shot past him but it struck the inside of the post and was cleared to safety.  With five minutes gone in the second half Soham scored their third goal.  It was a move involving the two Neville Brothers.  James spotted his brother, Scott, unmarked at the back  goal post and his cross rink pass provided the assist for Scott to lift the ball over the diving keeper, despite being off balance. 
Peterborough 1 Soham 3

Some naïve defending provided Soham with their next goal.  Martin Walker was allowed to venture behind the Peterborough goal and as he emerged back in front of the goal he placed an accurate shot over the keeper at the near post.   
Peterborough 1 Soham 4

Peterborough continued to play patient, measured hockey and they were rewarded shortly after Soham has scored their fourth goal.  Michael Carter was again involved and as he broke forward he noticed James Berry in space, who had cleverly spun away from his defender to be unmarked in front of goal.  Michael's cross rink, timely pass enabled James to tuck his shot under the diving Soham goalkeeper. 
Peterborough 2 Soham 4

Not to be outdone Soham wanted a fifth goal.  It started from a fine save made by their goalkeeper.  Scott Neville pounced onto the rebound and quickly advanced up the rink to dispatch an accurate slapshot into the top right hand corner of the net. 
Peterborough 2 Soham 5

Full Time Peterborough 2 Soham 5

Arthur Corr’s (Peterborough Coach) Man of the Match:- Tom Hillam.

A special mention for Thomas Semilore making his Premier League debut.  He has quickly burst onto the roller hockey scene by forcing his way, this season, into the England Under 17's squad that played in the recent European Championships.  In this match against Soham he showed no nerves and kept his play measured and simple.  A fine start to his Premier League career and another promising youngster to "come off the Arthur Corr production line".

Against one of the fancied teams for Premiership honours this season Peterborough adapted well and played some patient hockey.  All of their players gave everything in this fixture as it was clear for everyone to see that all of their shirts were soaked with honest sweat from their efforts.  However, the main difference between the two teams, in the end, was that Soham were decisively more experienced and clever in front of goal and took their chances when they came.

Our Under 15s won all three games at the weekend, Sunday 1st October at Ross Peers, Soham. 

Full-time scores 

ECU 1 Peterborough 4
Letchworth 1 Peterborough 7
Soahm (guest) 3 Peterborough 8

That seven wins from seven and the team sit at the top of the table. 

Match Report – by Terry Oakley
​Premier League
Herne Bay versus Peterborough 
1st October 2023 at Herne Bay Arena

Herne Bay Squad

30 Bailey Smith (Goalkeeper - 1st Half)
1 Edan Emery-Webber (Goalkeeper - 2nd Half)
2 Jack Knowles
3 Harry Salkind
4 Charlie Webber
5 Zachary Williams
6 Bradley Hopkins
7 Dave Todd (Captain)
8 Ryan Partridge
9 Sean Spinks

Peterborough Squad

1 Anthony Williams (Goalkeeper - 2nd Half)
2 James Berry
3 Tom Hillam
4 Josh Aaltonen
5 Michael Carter (Captain)
6 Harry Hillam
9 Luca Oakley
10 Tyler Salmon (Goalkeeper - 1st Half)

Referees:- Arran Bowyer and Jack Thomas.


Peterborough started this match strongly and had six shots within the first four minutes but all of those shots were hit at the body of the Herne Bay goalie.  They did, however, put together a fine move to open the scoring.  A break down the right by Michael Carter followed by a timely pass across the rink to two supporting players created the opening.  The pass was perfectly timed to Luca Oakley who quickly gained control of the ball and as the keeper advanced to close his shooting angle down he slipped the ball to his left to the unmarked Harry Hillam and he swept the ball home.   
Herne Bay 1 Peterborough 0

Herne Bay were playing patient hockey as they looked for shooting opportunities.  However, Peterborough were playing their direct, explosive hockey that they have and from one of those Luca Oakley burst past two defenders and his goal bound shot was on target for the top right hand corner of the goal only for Bailey Smith to react splendidly and deflect the shot onto the crossbar and away to safety.  This was followed up by another fast break forward which saw Harry Hillam create his space in front of goal for his shot and, he too, saw his shot strike the post and was also cleared to safety.  A break forward by Michael Carter and Luca Oakley, exchanging passes, created the space for Luca to hit his shot fiercely at the Herne Bay goal only for the keeper to produce another fine save to deny him.  Against the run of play Herne Bay equalised.  Charlie Webber advanced down the left hand side of the Peterborough defence and continued his run behind the Peterborough goal.  He was allowed to emerge from behind the goal unchallenged and had the time to confidently place his shot wide of the Peterborough goalkeeper and into the net.  
Herne Bay 1 Peterborough 1

The next action saw Michael Carter and James Berry combine to release James in front of goal and his shot was goal bound all the way only for Bailey Smith, in the Herne Bay goal, to spread himself brilliantly to block his shot.  Michael Carter, again, was involved in the next play when he went on a run which took him around the back of the Herne Bay goal and as he emerged back in front he was fouled by the flailing stick of the goalkeeper.  Josh Aaltonen took the responsibility of the resultant penalty but his first shot was saved only for the goalie to be penalised for moving.  Josh took his second shot which Bailey Smith again saved and his follow up effort struck the post and was cleared to safety.  This proved to be a turning point in the first half.  On the next attack a slapshot from Herne Bay's Ryan Partridge was deflected off a Peterborough stick which took it past Tyler Salmon and into the Peterborough goal.  
Herne Bay 2 Peterborough 1

Half Time Herne Bay 2 Peterborough 1

Herne Bay started the second half with a stronger attitude than what they had showed in the first half.  Snapping into tackles and breaking forward with purpose.  Both teams were providing attacking cut and thrust hockey with both keepers making fine saves.  Josh Aaltonen broke forward and his flicked shot hit the Herne Bay bar and was cleared to safety.  It seemed just a matter of time until Peterborough would score their second goal as their attacking forward play fully deserved it.  Michael Carter latched onto a misplaced pass in the center of the rink.  He quickly spotted Harry Hillam in space ahead of him and delivered a timely pass which allowed Harry to speed around the back of the Herne Bay goal and as he emerged to the side of the goal he lifted the ball up into the air and smashed it past the keeper.  Herne Bay 2 Peterborough 2

At this stage of the game Peterborough were well on top and continued to probe for the winner.  Michael Carter went on a mazy run in which he took on the four Herne Bay outer rink players but his final shot was well saved by Edan Emery-Webber in the Herne Bay goal.  Michael found himself involved in the next action as he was chopped down in the penalty area.  Michael took the resultant penalty shot which was saved but the referee deemed that the goalie had moved so the shot was retaken.  Again, the second opportunity was missed as the shot went high over the crossbar.  The breakthrough finally came as Luca Oakley went strongly forward and his quick pass to Josh Aaltonen allowed him to quickly go around the back of the Herne Bay goal and, as with Harry Hillam's previous goal, Josh lifted the ball into the air and placed his shot over the goalkeeper.  
Herne Bay 2 Peterborough 3

Further good breaks involving Luca Oakley and Josh Aaltonen kept the Herne Bay defence on their toes.  An off the ball incident was well spotted by the referee and another penalty was awarded to Peterborough.  Michael Carter took the responsibility of the penalty but his shot was blocked by Edan in the Herne Bay goal.  The game progressed into the final minute of the game with Herne Bay shooting on sight at the Peterborough goal searching for an equaliser.  With just 35 seconds of the match left, a flick shot from a Herne Bay player struck the Peterborough bar and was cleared to safety.

Even though Peterborough were awarded 3 penalties it was not a dirty match and the contest was well refereed throughout.

Full Time Herne Bay 2 Peterborough 3

Arthur Corr’s (Peterborough Coach) Man of the Match:- Harry Hillam.

For me, this was a repeat of this fixture in December 2022 which was played at Peterborough.  That game finished in a 5-5 drawn game.  The "repeat" was the performances of the Herne Bay goalkeepers who kept their team within striking distance of the Peterborough team throughout this match.  Shot after shot from Peterborough went unrewarded due to the heroics of both Herne Bay goalkeepers, Bailey Smith and Edan Emery-Webber.  Time and time again the speed of the Peterborough attacks down both flanks created goal scoring opportunities but their final shots, although mainly on target, tended to be into the goalkeeper's diving body.  Both goalkeepers made save after save to keep their team within a chance of picking up a favorable result in this match.  It took two pieces of sublime skill in the second half to finally breach the defiant display of accomplished goalkeeping.

​
All credit to the Herne Bay team as they continued to probe for an opening in the Peterborough defence with their stronger second half performance.  


Peterborough will need to clinically take the chances they create in Premier League Hockey matches.  To gain and miss 3 penalties, together with their shots striking the post/bar on four occasions shows that they "should have put this match to bed" long before the final whistle was blown.  On a positive note for Peterborough they continued to play their attacking style of fast, pass and move hockey even went they went behind in the first half and in the end their efforts were rewarded with a well deserved victory. 

I can see that the new rule of starting penalties and direct hits on the referee's whistle is going to make life hard for both goalkeepers and referees.  The natural body movements of a goalkeeper when faced with either a penalty or direct hit make it almost impossible to remain in their D area until after the ball has been touched.

Peterborough Under 15s started their season off in impressive fashion. The first tournament of the season see Peterborough win all their games in their season home tournament at Bushfields.

First game of the season was against Colchester with Peterborough winning the game 13 -1. Next up was Soham (2) who were the guest team here so the game was played as a friendly and a 10-0 win would be awarded to Peterborough the actual score was 13 - 0.
Third game of the day was against Soham (1) which saw Peterborough win 11 - 1.
and last game of the day saw a tough game against ECU Peterborough eventually came out on top winning 4 - 3.

It was a great way to start the season especially as they played with four players all tournament which showed in the last game. 

​Well done team  

Match Report - Premier League Phase 2 Finals – Peterborough versus Herne Bay United - 10th June 2023
Match Report by Terry Oakley
Premier League – Phase 2
Peterborough versus Herne Bay United
10th June 2023 at Ross Peers Sports Centre, Soham (This was Peterborough’s home match as Bushfields Leisure Centre at Peterborough was not available)

Peterborough Squad 
1    Anthony Williams (Goalkeeper)
2    James Berry
3    Tom Hillam
5    Michael Carter (Captain)
6    Harry Hillam
7    Josh Aaltonen
8    Luca Oakley
9    Lily Messenger
10  Tyler Salmon (Goalkeeper – played last 15 minutes of match)

Herne Bay United Squad (HBU)

10  Charles Holmes (Goalkeeper)
3    Finley Kay
4    Nathan Tickner
5    Will Hosking
9    Dougie Epps
23  Ashley Barton
99  Brendan Barker (Captain)

Referees:- Stephane Bauguitte and Neville Davis 
Peterborough started the match in their usual style of quick passing and fast movement off the ball by supporting players.  HBU seemed quite content to concede territory by placing their four outer rink players, in a box formation, and aiming to thwart the fast thrusting forward play of their opponents.  Peterborough worked the “carousel” well for long periods but found it difficult to create the necessary space to place shots on the HBU goal.  On the occasions they did they found Charlie Holmes in the HBU in fine form.  From this early play it looked like two players had the ability to unlock their respective opponents defences to score....Brendan Barker of HBU and Luca Oakley of Peterborough.  Shortly before the first goal was scored Luca produced a strong probing run down the left hand side of the HBU defence and hit a fine slapshot which struck the HBU cross bar.  However, just one minute later he worked his way down the right hand side of the HBU defence and as he was being tackled he managed to get an angled, flick shot away, from a tight angle, into the top right hand corner of the HBU net.  
Peterborough 1 Herne Bay 0 
​
After 21 minutes of play Peterborough went further ahead with the “Goal of the Match”.  Luca Oakley broke up a HBU attack behind his own goal line and went on a fast break forward.  He weaved his way past three HBU players and as the fourth defender approached him he placed an accurate flick shot into the top left hand corner of the net which gave the HBU goalie no chance to save.  
Peterborough 2 Herne Bay 0
 
Half Time:- Peterborough 2 Herne Bay 0 

Brendan Barker’s powerful, forward runs were a constant threat against Peterborough through this match.  And so it proved.  Within 2 minutes of the re-start HBU had scored.  Brendan made one of his typical, strong runs behind the Peterborough goal.  On finding his exit blocked off he spun, shook off his defender, and emerged on the other side of the goal and hit a fine reverse slapshot under the diving Peterborough keeper and into the net.  
Peterborough 2 Herne Bay 1 

Peterborough continued with their fast moving attacking play and Charlie Holmes in the HBU goal made several fine saves to keep his Team within touching distance of the Peterborough Team and the final result.  However, this was not to be as with 3 minutes remaining a break from defence from Michael Carter who then passed to Luca Oakley out wide on the left of the HBU defence.  At first it looked as if Luca had mis-controlled Michael’s pass but as the HBU defender was tempted into the tackle Luca spun away from him.  He sprinted forward and placed a lofted cross rink pass across the HBU goal to play in his colleague in for a tap in goal...but the pass was deflected by a HBU stick past the helpless goalie and into the HBU net.  Luca was credited for this third goal. 
Peterborough 3 Herne Bay 1 

Final score –Peterborough 3 Herne Bay 1 

Arthur Corr’s (Peterborough Coach) Man of the Match:- Luca Oakley – 3 Goals 
When both sides took to the rink for this fixture they both knew that the result of this game would have no bearing on the final league table.  So, really it was pride at stake for the victors of this match.  However, both teams endeavoured to play competitive hockey and served up a well contested match.

At the very beginning of this season the Peterborough Club took a massive gamble by applying to join the Premier League knowing that they had a very, very young Team (they started the season with 3 x 15 year old players and 5 x 16 year old players) that they hoped would quickly learn the “rough and tumble” of what Premier League Hockey was all about.  Well, what a season it proved to be!  They finished fourth in the Premier League and this was the Club’s highest ever finish.....a truly memorable season in the Club’s history!

​Our Under 20s are out of the national cup at the first hurdle. Peterborough lost to Herne Bay RHC 3-2 in the National Cup preliminaries. The defeat didn't warrant the display Peterborough gave.

The game was a carbon copy of the way the season has been for our under-20s. I don't think anybody can deny that they probably play the best hockey in the league. However, their possession and chances created do not show up on the score sheet and every mistake gets punished. In this game they also came up against a goalkeeper that almost single handedly won the game for Herne Bay, repelling shot after shot to thwart the Peterborough attack. It took two superb goals to beat Eden in the Herne Bay goal both from Josh Aaltonen.
​
Defensive mistakes and putting the ball in the net is what the coach will work on before next season. If you don't put the ball in the net you don't win a games. If this team starts doing this other teams will have to watch out.    

Match Report - Premier League Phase 2 – ECU versus Peterborough - 20th May 2023
Match Report by Terry Oakley
Premier League – Phase 2
ECU versus Peterborough
20th May 2023 at Ross Peers Leisure Centre, Soham

ECU Squad

40 Hattie Ford (Goalkeeper – Played whole game)
  6 Max Dunand
  7 Luis Gomes
13 Scarlett Courtenay- Barrow
25 Martin Walker
27 Tony Wilson (Captain)
34 Pedro Goncalves
35 Diogo Mota
60 Sarah Moffat (Goalkeeper)

Peterborough Squad 
1  Anthony Williams (Goalkeeper – played second half)
2  Tom Hillam
3  Jake Reed
4  Declan Lander
5  Michael Carter (Captain)
6  Harry Hillam
7  Josh Aaltonen
8  Luca Oakley
9  James Berry
10 Tyler Salmon (Goalkeeper – played first half)

Referees:- Zak Robinson and Chris Freeman 
For the first three or four minutes play was fairly even but Martin Walker latched onto a misplaced pass, lost his marker and sprinted forward to place his shot into the top right hand corner of the Peterborough net. 
ECU 1 Peterborough 0  

A minute later and Peterborough had a let off when Martin Walker hit a fine slapshot which struck the Peterborough crossbar and bounced to safety.  However, ECU were not to be denied their second goal and it arrived shortly after this as Luis Gomes found himself in space and he placed a fine slapshot into the top right hand corner of the net. 
ECU 2 Peterborough 0  

Peterborough continued to play open hockey and were rewarded when a shot from Harry Hillam was parried by the ECU goalkeeper and Josh Aaltonen snapped up the rebound to open Peterborough’s account. 
ECU 2 Peterborough 1 

This goal seemed to invigorate ECU into stepping up their play in the same way that they scored their first two goals.  Luis Gomes went behind the Peterborough goal at speed and as he emerged back onto the main part of the rink he cleverly blocked off his pursuing defender and spun to hit his flick shot past the goalie. 
ECU 3 Peterborough 1  

Another fine ECU move created the necessary space for Max Dunand to wind up and hit a fine slapshot into the net.  
ECU 4 Peterborough 1  

Half Time:- ECU 4 Peterborough 1 

Another penetrating run by Luis Gomes took him behind the Peterborough goal.  Instead off continuing his run around the back of the goal he hit a clever reverse pass into Martin Walker, who was lurking near the near post and his quick snapshot hit the back of Anthony Williams in the Peterborough goal before rolling over the goal line.  
ECU 5 Peterborough 1  

Luis Gomes was clearly enjoying his time back with his English Club Family and he combined with his fellow Portuguese countryman, Pedro Goncalves.  Pedro cleverly took the pass from Luis and flicked the ball up into the air and he finished the move off by placing the ball over the advancing Peterborough keeper. 
ECU 6 Peterborough 1 

ECU were not content on sitting back and enjoying their lead and continued to press for more goals.  This time it was Luis Gomes, again, who went on another run around the back of the Peterborough goal.  He paused for what seemed like an age as time stood still observing what options he had.  He moved forward by flicking the ball in the air to the side of the Peterborough goal and smashed his shot over the Peterborough goalie into the net....a clever goal.  
ECU 7 Peterborough 1 
​
Following this seventh ECU goal they switched personnel and gave some of the younger members of the squad some ring time.

Final score –ECU 7 Peterborough 1 
​
ECU mixed up their attacking play in this match to great effect.  Sheer physical power where they swept aside their opponents (aided by some lenient refereeing) together with using their superior experience to play some scintillating hockey.  They had two particularly inspired periods of five minutes in each half where they were unplayable and in each of those they fired in three goals to put this match beyond Peterborough.  When Peterborough did manage to break through the ECU defensive stranglehold they found Hattie Ford in fine form in the ECU goal.

From a Peterborough point of view the team were completely outplayed and were well beaten.  Their naivety in defending against their opponents attacking play in and around the back of their own goal is something that, we know, the coach will be addressing in training this coming week.  From this game they should also have learnt the lesson, hopefully, that when you are the last player in defence and in possession of the ball that you should not take on vastly experienced opponents in one on one situations as they are adept at nicking the ball from you and will be straight in on your goal.  This was arguably Peterborough’s worst Premier League performance of the season. 

Top Marks to ECU they can take this powerful, confident performance forward to next Saturday’s game when they play Kings Lynn to decide the outcome of the Premier League Championship.

Match Report - Premier League Phase 2 – Peterborough versus Cambridge & Cottenham - 13th May 2023
Match Report by Terry Oakley
Premier League – Phase 2
Peterborough versus Cambridge & Cottenham
13th May 2023 at Bushfields Leisure Centre, Peterborough

Peterborough Squad 
1  Anthony Williams (Goalkeeper – played whole game)
2  Tom Hillam
3  Jake Reed
4  Declan Lander
5  Michael Carter (Captain)
6  Harry Hillam
7  Josh Aaltonen
8  Luca Oakley
9  James Berry
10 Tyler Salmon (Goalkeeper)

Cambridge & Cottenham Squad (Just the name of “Cambridge” used throughout the report below)

1    Elise Cakebread (Goalkeeper)
3    Maddie Key
5    Josh Barker
16  Ben Allard
18  Jensen Richards
19  Conner Adams (Captain)
21  Alfie Newton
77  Dan Milne (Goalkeeper – played whole game)

Referee:- Stephane Bauguitte 
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Cambridge were off to a flying start.  A cross rink pass from Peterborough struck the barrier and was not collected.  The bounce of the ball wrong footed the Peterborough player and was scooped up by Jensen Richards who set off towards goal with his team mate Conner Adams up in support to give them a 2 on 1 advantage against a Peterborough defender.  Jensen bided his time until the time was right and he pushed a short pass to Conner who smashed the ball home.  Peterborough 0 Cambridge 1 

Michael Carter was next to get his name on the scoresheet.  Michael progressed down Cambridge’s left hand side and although he was faced with two defenders he was able to get a perfectly placed flick shot across the front of the goalkeeper and into the top left hand corner of the net.    Peterborough 1 Cambridge 1 

The next action involved Jake Reed.  He set off at high speed down Cambridge’s left hand defence and was able to get around the back the their goal and as he emerged back in front he was able to lift the ball into the air and smash it over the helpless Cambridge keeper.  The delight on Jake’s face as he took his place in the restart line up was a clear measure of how much he enjoyed that spectacular goal.  Peterborough 2 Cambridge 1
 
Cambridge were not to be denied and they quickly pulled themselves level.  A ball spun loose behind the Peterborough goal and this was quickly retrieved by Ben Allard.  He spun away from his marker and placed a short pass to Jensen Richards who swiftly despatched his shot into the net from a tight angle.  
Peterborough 2 Cambridge 2 

Cambridge then went ahead for the second time in this match.  A cross rink pass by a Peterborough player bounced awkwardly off the wall and fell kindly for Ben Allard in the centre circle.  He found himself in space and he confidently advanced forward and smashed an unstoppable slapshot into the Peterborough net.  
Peterborough 2 Cambridge 3 

Next followed a flurry of Peterborough attacks that involved play around the back of the Cambridge goal.  From one of those Michael Carter emerged with the ball after wining a crucial tackle and he quickly played a short pass into Luca Oakley who confidently smashed the ball past the Cambridge keeper.  
Peterborough 3 Cambridge 3 

It was then the turn of the two “older heads” in the Peterborough Team to link up to provide the next goal just before the halftime break.  Jake Reed “screened” two Cambridge players which provided the necessary space for Michael Carter to wind up and hit an unstoppable reverse slapshot into the Cambridge net.  
Peterborough 4 Cambridge 3 

Half Time:- Peterborough 4 Cambridge 3 

Shortly after the break it looked as if Peterborough had taken a real foothold in this game by scoring two goals in quick succession.  Firstly, Luca Oakley made a strong run down the Cambridge left defence and he slipped a short pass inside to Michael Carter who in turn helped that pass onto the unmarked James Berry at the back post and he swept the ball home.  
Peterborough 5 Cambridge 3
 
Peterborough then scored another goal quickly after the previous one.  A quick inter change of passes between James Berry and Jake Reed freed up James down the Cambridge right.  James spun away from his marker and placed a short pass into the supporting run from Jake and he smashed the ball home.  
Peterborough 6 Cambridge 3 

At this stage of the match there was still 10 minutes left of play on the clock.  You could visibly see that Peterborough legs were tiring as gaps were appearing in their defensive play.  Cambridge took full advantage of this and created their next goal.  A strong forward run by Alfie Newton enabled him the space to hit a hard pass towards the Peterborough goal and Josh Barker cleverly deflected the ball past the unsighted Anthony Williams in the Peterborough goal.  
Peterborough 6 Cambridge 4 
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Cambridge clearly sensed that another goal was within their reach.  A good run by Ben Allard into the heart of the Peterborough defence enabled him to place a short pass into the fast arriving Jensen Richards and he confidently deflected the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.  
Peterborough 6 Cambridge 5

Final score –Peterborough 6 Cambridge & Cottenham 5
 
Arthur Corr’s (Peterborough Coach) Man of the Match:- Anthony Williams 
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In the earlier stages of this match the score see-sawed back and forth as each side strove to take command.  Then after 15 minutes of the second half Peterborough pushed ahead with two quick goals within a couple of minutes to make the score 6 – 3.  Cambridge would not capitulate and forced themselves back into the game by replying with two goals of their own. 

Cambridge have a game plan that works for them and they are good at it.  They essentially set up in a defensive line up and wait for their opponents to make a mistake.  They then latch onto the loose ball and hit you at speed on the break.  That strategy combined with set moves of lofting passes and hitting slapshots into the opposing team’s penalty area for a team mate to deflect the ball past the unsighted goalkeeper makes them a dangerous opponent and in this match they were always in touching distance of securing a draw or victory.

On a positive note for the Peterborough Team, to have to perform in two Premier League matches in less than 24 hours showed that although fatigue was obvious in the closing stages of this game they had the character to see things through to a positive result.​ 
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A special mention must be made about the referee in this match.  Stephane Bauguitte was the lone official appointed for this fixture and he did a sterling job in keeping the game moving without hardly any contested decisions.  Top marks to Stephane!