08/10/22 : Mens 2 vs Staines 2
Away - Staines & Laleham S.A. - TW18 1HR
League
Won 5 - 3
2s hit five on the road
A devastating spell early in the second half ensured the 2s secured their first win of the season at Staines.
With several players stuck in M25/A3 traffic chaos, pre match warm up and chat had to be truncated. Indeed for the first twenty minutes, Havant struggled to get going with pace and movement not at 100% and the team guilty of too many turnovers. The home team took the lead after 11 minutes, forcing home a rebound from their first penalty corner and it wasn't until the 22nd that Havant won a first pc of their own. Gabe Carvalho made no mistake with a flick past the keeper's left glove. The goal galavanised the visitors and suddenly they started to look dangerous on every attack. With a minute remaining in the half, a press high up in the Staines twent five saw Luke Watson (or was it Sam?) disposses the Staines's full back and find James Healey for a crisp finish. Straight off the training ground and coach Dan was purring.
Havant kept their foot down in the second half. With drag flicker Gabe on the bench, the team went for a training ground variation on their next pc. The 'bounce' routine worked perfectly to give Connor Blackmore his first senior goal for the club. Coach Dan was purring again. A deft deflection from James Healey and a Finn Carvalho goal on 53 minutes took the visitors to 5-1. At this point, the team lost concentration and two deflected goals in quick succession made it an unecessarily nervy final ten minutes for the Havant bench.
Plenty of positives to take out of the game (team discipline was exemplary) and some learning points for training this week.
Goals
James Healey 2Gabriel Carvalho 1
Finn Carvalho 1
