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Romsey Mens 2nd XI 0-1 US Portmouth

Romsey mens 2nd XI were edged out 0-1 in a very tight match against US Portsmouth to end their fourth season in fourth place in Hampshire Div 7, having been promoted for each of their first three seasons.

The match itself was not a great spectacle. Both sides were highly competitive in midfield and strong at the back and it was a game of few chances. The match was also marred by careless tackling from both sides, and Jamie Voller can count himself very unlucky to be sin binned for two tackles which were no worse than many others which were not penalised at all.

Man of the match Monty Roberts worked tirelessly all match, giving the USP back line a torrid time, and was unlucky not to score the opener to the home side when Josh Bishop broke into the D before firing across the goal for Roberts to deflect the ball just wide and Colin Harwood unable to steer home at the left hand post. Carl Hendy shot wide from eight yards.

USP had their chances as well, one producing a brilliant save from Tom Gibson in the Romsey goal, and another goal bound shot cleared off the line in mid air by Jim Ponsford.

The goal when it came was not pretty. A speculative cross was half stopped by Stuart Robertson and broke fortuitously to a USP forward on the right hand post with the space to shovel home.

Romsey Mens 1st XI 5-1 Fareham
Romsey Mens 1st XI recorded a 5-1 victory over Fareham at Henry Cort School to secure 2nd place in Hampshire Div 2 and to win a third straight promotion, which is also amazingly their eighth promotion in nine years.
Tom McCarthy opened the scoring from a penalty corner routine when Jack Forrest-Charde picked him out at the left hand post for a tap in. Ben Mullan added a second from another penalty corner, picking up the bits after the initial shot was stopped by the Fareham keeper.
Tom McCarthy added a third from yet another penalty corner with a deft deflection at close range which left the keeper with no chance.
Romsey’s fourth goal, their only one from open play featured most of the team as the ball was moved with great speed, and culminated with Neil Strong diving full length to steer the ball home.
McCarthy completed his hattrick when Ben Mullan was twice denied by the Fareham keeper, so squared the loose ball for McCarthy to finish neatly.
Fareham were able to grab a late consolation in unusual circumstances when Dave Miles cleared a penalty corner strike off the line, only for the clearance to touch the back of keeper Loz scott’s stick. Somewhat dubiously Fareham were awarded a penalty flick which keeper Scott could not keep out.

Romsey Mens 1st XI 13-0 New Milton
Romsey mens 1st XI hammered 13 past a hapless New Milton to close in on automatic promotion and to make 2nd place their own in Hampshire Div 2.
4 goals for midfielder Ben Mullan, 5 from winger Tom McCarthy, and two each from Neil Strong and Jack Forrest-Charde were far too much for a weakened New Milton side.
Ben Mullan opened the scoring, then Tom McCarthy quickly added a second. Mullan crashed in another from the top of the D and then Neil Strong added another to make it 4-0 to the home side. Jack Forrest-Charde fired high into the top right hand corner, then Mullan pick off two more, Forrest-Charde and then McCarthy for a half time lead of 9-0.
After the break Neil Strong grabbed another and McCarthy notched up a second half hattrick finished off in style as he broke from the 25 into the D before dummying around the keeper to tap in.
A win next week against mid table Fareham will seal second place and yet another promotion for the high flying 1st XI.

Romsey Mens 2nd XI 3-0 Basingstoke
The home side created the early chances, but could get no change out of the re-jigged Romsey back line of Andrew Archibald, Jamie Voller and Dave Andrews. After 10 minutes however, Romsey took a grip on the game they would never relinquish, characterised by a high tempo which was too hot for the home side to handle.
On 20 minutes Romsey took a deserved lead when Josh Bishop broke into the D and fired a shot from the top of the D, the ’stoke keeper could only parry it away and Colin Harwood was on hand to crash in from the acutest of angles to draw level with Carl Hendy as leading scorer. Romsey wingers James Boggis and Lucas Cross were running riot, but Romsey could force nothing more and went in at half time 1-0 ahead.
After the break, Basingstoke pressed briefly for an equaliser but found keeper Tom Gibson in great form and could not turn their pressure into goals.
It was Bishop once again the creator to break the shackles, pouncing on a weak pass before breaking with pace up the pitch and into the D, before beating the keeper and rolling the ball goalwards for arch-predator Carl Hendy to latch onto and tap in to go one goal ahead of Harwood and put Romsey 2-0 up.
In the Romsey centre Matt Munro was enjoying a dominant performance, and it was he who created the opportunity for Josh Bishop to put his name on the scoresheet. A killer pass found Bishop unmarked in the D to turn and crash past the ’stoke keeper and in of the inside of the post for a 3-0 lead, and to secure all three points.

Romsey mens 1st XI 1-1 Southampton University
Romsey mens 1st XI clawed back a one goal deficit to become only the second team this season to take points from the runaway leaders of Hampshire Div 2.
Romsey keeper Loz Scott was in action early beating out a penalty corner, but came unstuck at the second time of asking as a penalty corner routine seemed to go wrong, and in the confusion a uni forward appered at the right hand post to sweep in a backhand shot and put the students into the lead.
Tom McCarthy opened up the home side with a great run down the left wing before feeding Will Savage to beat two defenders before shooting narrowly wide. Another McCarthy break down the left saw the visitors up in arms after McCarthy’s pass found Jack

Forrest-Charde whose goal bound shot seemed to hit the uni defender on the foot on the goal line. Romsey as one pleaded for a penalty stroke, but the umpires were unmoved and Uni breathed a sigh of relief. Tom Posford released Lewis Birch on the right flank who fired a great square pass to McCarthy at the left hand post but the winger’s shot crept around the post.
Will Savage saw yellow moments later for a crude shove which sent the uni forward sprawling and Savage into the bin for five minutes. Forrest-Charde drew a good save from the uni keeper when his drag flick was beaten wide, and some wonderful skill by Ben Mullan drew another moments later.
When Savage returned to action his mazy run and shot drew yet another save at the near post. Ben Mullan went close after another lovely move, and moments after that Loz Scott produced a brilliant save to deny a bullet drag flick and keep the half time score 0-1 to uni.
Early in the second period Mullan and Forrest-Charde combined to release Savage into the D but his shot found the side netting.
Scott produced another save to keep out a deflected effort, before Romsey constructed the move of the game. Skipper Dave Miles won the ball close to his own goal line, produced some dazzling skills to retain possession before releasing the Forrest-Charde/Mullan combination to maraud forward before finding Tom Ponsford in space on the right. The uni keeper half stopped the shot and the home defence scrambled the ball clear.
Late in the half Romsey found an equaliser. Romsey forced a penalty corner and the students appeared to have cleared the danger. The loose ball broke to Ponsford who arrowed a pass to Mullan on the penalty spot whose first time strike flew past the keeper into the roof of the net, the match finishing 1-1.

Romsey Mens 2nd XI 2-2 Gillingham
Romsey Mens 2nd XI dragged a creditable draw from Gillingham at home after losing out narrowly 1-2 in the first half of the season. The first half full of quality hockey from both sides, but neither could break the deadlock. Gillingham were showing Romsey a little too much respect in possession, but the home side were lingering too long on the ball, and were unable to make the breakthrough and went in 0-0 at half time.
In a break with recent form against the better sides in the division, Romsey took the lead when Colin Harwood latched onto a rebound to tap in from close range after leading scorer Carl Hendy had seen his shot beaten out early in the second half.
The match continued at a high tempo, with both sides committed to playing open and flowing hockey.
The away side bit back thanks to a left hand post tap in after a pass into the D had eluded everyone on its way through.
As the second period wore on, Gillingham’s relative youth began to tell, and the visitors took a deserved lead, although the manner of scoring was unfortunate. Dave Loescher’s 16 yard hit was picked off by the Gillingham forward line, but were forced out wide. Shooting speculatively from a narrow angle, a shot which might have gone wide was deflected into the Romsey goal by keeper Tom Gibson.
Romsey never gave up however continuing to apply pressure into the dying minutes of the match, and were rewarded with a late equaliser when Josh Bishop burst into the D and fired in a low shot against the keepers pads. The rebound bounced kindly for Harwood to force home through the slenderest of gaps between pad and post to earn a well deserved point.

Romsey Mens 1st XI 9-0 Tadley
Romsey Mens 1st XI enjoyed a resounding victory over Tadley scoring nine without reply to move back into the promotion places.
Ben Mullan opened the scoring, shunting home from 6 yards before Tom McCarthy made it two on the half volley after some neat approach play from Jack Forrest-Charde. Mullan turned provider for the third, threading a penetrative pass through to McCarthy to beat the keeper low to his right. Lewis Birch added another and then Mullan added his second with a bullet strike from the top of the D to make it 5-0. Tom Ponsford got in on the act to notch up Romsey’s sixth then Josh Bishop fired a pass deep into the D for McCarthy to deflect beyond the keeper. McCarthy took on the creative role, dribbling around the back to feed Forrest-Charde who made no mistake from 4 yards out. The scoring was concluded by Lewis Birch who picked the defenders pocket before darting into the D, dummied the keeper and danced the ball into an empty goal. With Weymouth losing out to leaders Southampton University, Romsey move back into second with the run away leaders next up.

Romsey Mens 2nd XI 3-1 Southampton
Romsey mens 2nd XI recorded another comfortable victory against Southampton on saturday, although, as with so many of Romsey’s recent results, the margin should have been much greater.
Romsey dominated the early phases of the match and went into an early lead when James Boggis latched onto the loose ball after Carl Hendy’s shot was saved.
Romsey then gave away an equaliser when Jamie Voller was caught in two minds as to who to pass to, and fell over instead. Southampton pounced on the slip, quickly squaring for a snap finish to level the scores. Late in the half Romsey went ahead when Boggis fed Matt Munro who flicked past the keeper from wide on the right of the D to make the half time score 2-1 to the visitors.
The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, Romsey applying the pressure, Southampton dragging ten men behind the ball and trying to catch Romsey on the break. Voller, Dave Loescher and Jim Ponsford were having none of it however, and Southamptons chances were limited to the occasional foray as far as the attcking 23 before the threat was quickly snuffed out. In the end Romsey did force a third to make the game safe when Monty Roberts neatly swivelled and shot low into the right hand corner, and the match finished 3-1 to Romsey

Romsey Mens 1st XI 4-2 Portsmouth & Southsea
Romsey mens 1st XI won a bitter battle against Portsmouth & Southsea to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at the hands of Winchester to hold onto Weymouth’s coat-tails and remain in with a chance of promotion this season.
P&S took an early lead after 10 minutes, only for Ben Mullan to drag Romsey level 5 minutes later. Ash Cooper scored on his debut to put Romsey ahead before P&S grabbed an equaliser for 2-2 after some sloppy work in the Romsey back line.
After the half time break, the match became more and more aggressive, the umpires distributing 5 green cards and two yellows, one of which was for Will Savage for dissent.
Shortly after Savage returned to the fray, Ben Mullan, man of the match in wonderful form in the Romsey midfield burst through the home defence and fired a snap shot into the bottom corner to take Romsey into the lead. Then five minutes later, a rapid exchange of passes released Jack Forrest-Charde 10 meters out to nutmeg the keeper and make amens after missing a penalty stroke in the first half.

Romsey Mens 2nd XI 2-0 Wimborne Wayfarers
It is almost more revealing to catalogue the missed chances in a match where Romsey were utterly dominant, allowing Wimborne Zero attempts on target in a thoroughly one sided affair at Romsey Community School. Carl Hendy had as many chances in this game as he has scored goals this season, and although he converted one to record Romsey’s second will feel aggrieved not to have registered more. Colin Harwood went close on a number of occasions, Dave Loescher and Skipper Stuart Robertson fired narrowly wide from penalty corners while Jim East had a drag flick saved. Romsey welcomed back Matt Munro after a long injury lay off for him to hit the post with a viscous strike. Lucas Cross and Monty Roberts were combining well to create a series of chances to no avail, and even full back Dave Andrews got in on the act, making a wonderful run from deep, exchanging passes with Colin Harwood before bringing and excellent save from the keeper.
Lucas Cross might have opened the scoring having found space 3 metres out only to flick against the keepers pads. However, shortly afterwards he was on target, threading a deft flick from the top of the D inside the left hand post.
Towards the end of the half Hendy found Harwood with a neat pass to the top of the D, received the return and knocked in a smart finish.
Romsey will have mixed feelings, delighted to have carved their opponents open again and again whilst remaining defensively impenetrable, but bitterly disappointed not to have scored more.