Hockey: Marlborough men’s first team cheered with an away draw

Firebrands A  1 Marlborough 1                          

Following two disappointing losses Marlborough made the short trip down to Bristol (February 1) to do battle with Firebrands A.  

Conditions before the start of the game did not seem to be to either side’s taste with the rain and wind chill factor making for quite an unpleasant warm up.

After a rousing team talk from Captain Rich Holman, Marlborough started brilliantly dominating possession and simply outplaying their opponents in all facets of the game.

The gulf between the league positions of the two sides was forgotten with Marlborough penning Firebrands within their own half with excellent execution of their defensive press and almost turning the ball over at will.

Marlborough’s reward came shortly before the end of the first half following some intricate play around the top of the D with the finish supplied by Anil Sud.  1-0 to the visitors at half time- and looking good for a win?

Firebrands made some noticeable changes in the second half and put Marlborough under severe pressure.  Soon however the game changed once more as both sides started to find plenty of space to work in.

Mid-way through the second half Marlborough were left shaken after a controversial umpiring decision allowed Firebrands to sneak in for the equaliser.  

Once again in the familiar position of having been pegged back, Marlborough responded with positive, confident play which was a joy to behold.  

Chances were created but with no finishing touches the game ended with the score line at 1-1.  The team considered it a brilliant away performance, full of pride and positive play which will give them great confidence in their bid for survival in the league.   

As one member of the team said: “A more than well-deserved draw! Win to follow shortly.”