Ladies' 1s having won away to Southgate 3-0
The stats speak very highly of how successful the first half of the season has been for the Ladies’ 1s: played 8, won 8, goals for 50, goals against 8, league points 24. Ashford are sitting at the top of the table; a well-deserved position to be in and one that has been earned through hard work and determination both at training and on the pitch on game days. The strength of the defensive set-up, linked together with midfield cohesion and attacking dominance reflects impressive teamwork and consistency throughout the team.
A strong 1s squad being available each week has been essential due to early season injuries, the dreaded self isolation and the need for some of the squad to support the 2s during their league games. Again, the stats show that our successes are down to a whole squad effort with MOM being awarded to 10 different players already. Well done to everyone for making themselves available for both the training sessions and matches.
The start of the season saw a convincing 4-1 win against West Hampstead who have always given us tough games both home and away. Next came an emphatic 9-0 win against Winchmore Hill followed by an extremely pleasing result against our old rivals Staines. A 4-1 victory and dominant play showed the team's determination to keep the top spot in the league table. Following on from this win was another dominant performance with the team beating Chiswick 10-1.
Our first away game saw us travelling to Teddington who always prove to be tough opposition. The 7-1 victory did not come easily and the team needed to focus for the full 70 minutes to stay dominant. Our return to playing at Ashford saw us take on Harrow on a day when the weather had us struggling to social distance before the game as we tried to shelter from the pouring rain. On the pitch we demonstrated attacking flair and creative defensive build up play to secure a 9-2 win. Unfortunately, after that we were placed in lockdown which meant a month of no training and matches and the threat of no hockey until after Christmas.
When at last a decision was made that meant we could train and play once again, the only possible stumbling block was that our next opposition were also unbeaten and therefore no.1 current league rivals Southgate! Tough and rewarding pre-match training sessions took place and then, as always, a strong squad made the long journey across London to play our toughest game so far this season. The match was a hard fought one but Ashford's strength and determination shone through to nail a vital 2-0 win. That meant the final game before Christmas was against our first league opposition of the season, West Hampstead. The away fixture was always going to be trickier and with a surprising number of home supporters cheering on our oppo we were feeling the pressure. It was crucial for team morale, prior to the Christmas break, that Ashford held our unbeaten record. Conceding a goal and going behind made things even more nervy but it didn't take long for Ashford to pull things together, equalise and go on to win the game 5-2.
As we enter the Christmas break with the uncertainty of when league fixtures will be able to resume, we can look back on a very successful first half of the season and keep our fingers crossed that the 1s will return to play and winning ways soon.
Bash
