Goalscoring coach praises ‘great squad performance’

The Island side reached the semi-finals of the Tier Three knockout last season, only missing out on a place at finals day on penalty shuffles, and the move up will see them face strong UK regional premier league teams, which began with Friday night’s first-round home tie against Old Silhillians.

The match nearly did not go ahead at all as Guernsey came close to withdrawing from the competition with flights hard to come by and expensive due to the half-term holiday, but the Birmingham-based visitors were very accommodating as they flew from different airports and agreed to the evening fixture under the Footes Lane lights.

Guernsey started much brighter, pressing high and creating the most chances.

Bex Hubbard, more usually coaching from the sidelines, opted to join the playing personnel for this game after some prolific goalscoring for Puffins this season and her selection was justified, after she got hold of a Katherine Bushell cross, putting the home team in the lead after five minutes with a close-range shot.

The Island side looked comfortably on top at this point, with Holly Stubbert-Malley and Minnie Swaisland creating chances on both flanks and Charlotte Griggs making some darting runs up front.

But ‘Old Sils’ then settled into the game.

Their young energetic team started to close down the Guernsey players more quickly, giving them less time on the ball and forcing more errors.

Their tenacity was rewarded when Melissa Thurman slotted in the equaliser 25 minutes into the game.

In the second half, Old Sils, with only one sub, were starting to tire and Guernsey’s larger squad were able to continue rotating, allowing players to rest tired legs.

There was end-to-end hockey, with both goalkeepers forced to make some excellent saves, with Cassidy New having a great game between the posts for the visiting side.

On the hour, the stalemate was finally broken when, after a well-worked team move through the centre of the pitch, Bushell again found Hubbard whose first time hit squeezed into the corner of the goal.

But Old Sils continued to battle to the end and the Greens were relieved to hear the final whistle, signalling progress into the second round, due to be played in mid-December.

‘It was a great squad performance. It is a fantastic position to be in, that we are selecting from such a strong group of players,’ said the player-coach Hubbard after the 2-1 victory.

• The Ladies First XI would like to thank Fort Group, HFL and Versa for their support of women’s hockey this season. Players are also looking for individual sponsorship this cup campaign, and if any individuals or companies are able to help, they are asked to contact Ali Le Tocq at admin@guernseyhockey.com.