North Down Fall 2-1 to Harlequins in Hard-Fought Clash
North Down travelled to Deramore Park to face Harlequins HC seeking to gain some points on the board, however come up short to a 2-1 defeat.
As both teams warmed into the game, it was very much end to end hockey. North pressed high and an interception from P.Smith in the midfield led to a goal scoring opportunity for Gilmore. However after being swarmed by several blue shirts it came to no avail. North’s best chance of the quarter coming from a good ball from A. Boyd into the speedy F. McKane who made a strong round around the defense with the shot narrowly wide. Harlequins found themselves in the opposition circle several times, creating some dangerous chances however nothing other than a few short corners came from their attacks. GK Darren Rodgers pulling off some good saves to leave the game at 0-0 going into the second quarter.
It was Harlequins who had the better start to the second quarter. North struggled to gain control with several misplaced passes and sloppy tackles allowing dangerous attacks into the away team’s 25. North started to come into the game again, a fantastic ball from O.Smith to J.Gilmore gave North a look at their first attack. Momentum began to pick up and North were starting to look a little more dangerous. Another dashing run from McKane led the ball to Linter, who played an awkward bouncing ball towards the back post, catching a Harlequins foot. Skipper Gilmore slotted a drag flick into the bottom right corner giving North a 1-0 lead at halftime.
As anticipated, Harlequins started the 3rd quarter fast in search of a goal, which looked like it wasn’t far away. Another great save from Rodgers following a powerful reverse stick strike kept the game at 1-0. An interception from F. Roden , a new addition to the Men’s 1s side, who’s had a great start to the season, fed the ball through to McKane at the top of the circle. However saw his shot saved by the Harlequins keeper. Despite both teams both applying pressure, it was Harlequins to get on the scoresheet next when their striker got a clean reverse stick strike away beating Rodgers. Harlequins continued to pile on the pressure. A misplaced arial from North’s back line, which was heading out of Deramore and back to the Enler, allowed Harlequins to attack again and win a short corner. Another fantastic save from Rodgers taking the game into 1-1 for an exciting final quarter.
A strong interception from S.Boyd gave North the first opportunity of attack. However, following a sloppy turnover in the Harlequins circle, the home team were able to get up to the other end in seconds to convert their second. Trailing 2-1 with 15 to go, North Down battled hard seeking the equalizer. A strong run followed by a dangerous ball into the circle from H.Templeton was cleverly cleared by a Harlequins defender. Despite availing to nothing, it created some momentum for the away team, who continued to press and create some promising chances. As the game was reaching the end, North desperately needed a goal. A great tackle by J.Linter preventing a Harlequins counter and creating a North Down attack was deemed a Harlequins free hit, worthy of green card, by the official. What came after was even more of a surprise. When Linter through his hands in the air in frustration at the decision, the official believed Linter was ‘pulling the finger’ at him and turned the green into a red card. A sour end to what was an exciting game of hockey.
North Down will now look ahead to their next fixture, Bangor, hoping for a better performance.
Burch Autos Man of the Match: Darren Rodgers.