MATCH REPORT Mixed XI v Towcester XI

The Wanderers mixed XI faced local rivals Towcester once again for the beginning of this season’s mixed cup run. The atmosphere was positive, and a selection of spectators tagged along to show their support at the away ground.

The Wanderers took a minute to organize themselves, and Towcester got themselves on the scoresheet early. Their forwards tried to expose GK Jade’s height disadvantage but were lucky to have tap-in assistance in front of the goal. As they started to find their feet, Jed managed to sneak past the defence to score a fabulous goal. A touch and a reverse stick lift of the ball to the Towcester goalie’s slow side found the net and spooked the home team. Taking no hesitation and riding the confidence boost, Jay threw an aerial over the midfielders’ heads to Pal, who sent a crash ball into the D. Once again, Jed got a one-touch goal to even the score to 2-2. After putting the pressure on, Wootton found that Towcester switched their heads back on, working their way around the backline to collect a third goal. Wootton didn’t let this get to them, and after receiving the ball from Julie, Solo slotted the ball inside the post with a spinning body ripper from the top of the D.

As a spectator, the view was that the strong pressure before halftime should have been enough to win and to keep the Towcester defence pinned back. The only defender able to keep up with the swift-footed Jed was the appropriately named Plum Bum. Pal was comfortably ahead of the defence down the left wing. Dan was pushing up quickly from the midfield along with Witty and Charlotte. However, Wootton’s play began to become sloppy, and simple mistakes were being made by their players. As per usual, both teams were becoming flustered and argumentative. Stick clatters, short corners, and a bit of drama queenery took the focus away from the strong team plays. The defensive backline started to take a battering, with Jay taking a swing from Corey to the face, and Jade losing her helmet as Amy made a last-minute tackle to send the ball out of the D. Towcester were the team who managed to take advantage of the mishaps and gained themselves two more goals before the final whistle.

The final score was 5-3 to Towcester, and Wootton will now compete for the plate against Leicester City