Unbeaten run of the Mens 1's continues

This was a highly contested match between two competitive teams who knew how important winning all 3 points was. In the end Havering came out on top playing good, attractive and proactive hockey.

It was actually Saffron Walden who had started the game strongest though as they won a succession of short corners early on. These, however, were all kept out due to Havering’s dogged defending.

Two incidents changed the game in Havering’s favour. At one end, Shearer-Rust exhibited himself with a fantastic diving stick-save to keep out an impressive Saffron Walden drag flick. At the other end, Havering finally managed to string together a fluid passing move - Paul Dover found Alex Simpson on the T-Spot, Simpson dribbled niftily on the by-line before feeding Harry Andrews who drilled the ball into Saffron Walden’s goal seeing the half ending with the visitors ahead.

Johnson’s half-time talk was spot on in correcting all issues that needed tweaking in Havering’s game and this led to the team completely dominating the second half from beginning to end. Saffron Walden failed to create a single chance or to win a single short corner. Havering, on the other hand, managed to maintain possession confidently and created wave after wave of attack eventually breaking down Saffron Walden’s last barriers.

Saffron Walden battled away in vain as the work rate of players such as Man of the Match Alex Defroand, Dover, Simpson, and Marcus Hall in midfield was too much for the home side to cope with and this ultimately lead to key Saffron Walden players losing their composure. Havering, however, managed the situation calmly with disciplined, controlled play and eventually this led to Andrews getting his second goal by deftly deflecting in Defroand’s pass. Glen Noller scored the third goal by emphatically flicking in the roof of the net to finish a well-worked short corner move; and Cipa wrapped things up by clinically capitalising on another good all-round team move that included a perfect assist by Hall.

Havering continued to frustrate Saffron Walden's efforts as they deservedly saw out the game holding onto possession for long stretches of time and with the defence marshalled capably by Harry Jenkins.