Bees Pay The Penalty In West Derby Defeat

This Saturday saw the Bees play at home against West Derby Mens 2nds. This was always going to be a tough match, but to make matters worse the Bees again saw their ranks noticeably diminished through absence and injury. Undeterred they took to the field and gave it their all against the team currently holding top position in the league table.

The first half saw both teams clashing on equal terms. The West Derby squad were perhaps a little surprised by the spirited resistance being mounted by the determined Bees defence and the tenacity of the offensive portion of the team. A last minute goal by the Bees very own Richard Greenhough saw the first half end with the score tied at one goal apiece.

The second half began with the Bees determined to make things difficult for West Derby and for a while they managed it. But sadly it was not to be. With only a single substitute the niggling injuries that had been plaguing a number of players began to take their toll, as did the sheer exhaustion brought about by the high pace of the game and the Bees began to concede goals. West Derby zeroed in on a chink in the Bees armour in the form of the Bees short corner defending and more drag flicks were soon sent into it.

When the final whistle blew the score saw West Derby with five and the Bees one. Despite the loss, the mood of the team was buoyant for they had played well and pulled together. As ever, shortcomings were evident, but now identified can be worked on during training. West Derby showed a great deal of sportsmanship when they shared some very helpful tips and advice after the game for coping with the level of play in the new league. Armed with this new knowledge the Bees will need to work on some new drills in training before they venture to West Derbys home turf later in the season.

Man of the Match went to keeper Pete Lynch-Mathew who had been kept very busy during the game, managing to pull off several outstanding saves, including some true jaw-droppers that ‘he had no right to make’