1st Team Vs Droitwich Spa

Wulfs arrived at Droitwich Spa knowing only a win would do if they were to keep alive their hopes of a top two finish, and if possible, with a hatful of goals to boost their chances in the goal difference stakes.

The away side started brightly and a goal came within the first couple of minutes. Ashworth lost his marker and received the ball in the centre of the pitch before setting Griffiths down the right. He sent a well-timed cross into the D that met Birch who fired home from close range.

Soon after, Wulfs won a penalty corner. Birch opted to strike and sent his effort towards Ablard, who deflected in to make it 2-0 with less than 15 minutes gone. A good start considering the need for goals, however the play from then on seemed to slow and the goals dried up for the remainder of the half. Frustration began to set in and Palmer decided to sub himself off before the break, possibly to get a more objective view of the play. Enter Humpherson to make a long awaited return from injury as he slotted into defence.

The second half started in much the same manner, with Wulfs becoming frustrated even though Droitwich had barely mustered a shot for the entire game. However, they were doing their best to rile Wulfs in other ways, putting themselves about with a few tasty challenges. In part, this worked as Wulfs began to return the favour with some silly tackles of their own and over-complaining to the umpires.

Eventually the some of the good hockey from the first half began to return and this resulted in another quick two goals. For 3-0, Ashworth collected the ball inside the Droitwich D, turned and pushed the ball towards the back post where both Litchfield and Ablard were waiting to fight over a tap-in. Ablard won the battle to bag his second of the game, and soon after completed his hat-trick when he turned in another penalty corner with his reverse stick from a well-aimed push from Birch.

Final score 4-0. Man of the match – Ablard.