On a grey February morning, the Hawks made the short journey for an early kick off against Farncombe Wolverines. The earlier encounter this season proved to be a tough challenge for the Hawks, but this is now a much changed team, full of determination, talent and ever growing confidence.

The first quarter kicked off and it was the Wolverines who enjoyed much of the early possession. Peter and Harry were kept busy in defence but were, as usual, up to the task with some superb tackles and blocks. With Anders between the sticks, the two chances that did make it through were ably dealt with.

As the quarter went on, the Wolverines quickly discovered that gulf between the two sides before Christmas had vanished and this was not going to be an easy day at the office – quite the opposite! Rian started to get on the ball in midfield and on the flanks, Morty and Stanley were always looking to link up with him. Felix’s tireless running upfront kept the Wolverine’s defenders on their toes.

Morty started to see a lot of the ball on the right and proved to be more than a handful for the opposition. With great linkup play between Rian and Morty, it was the Hawks who created the next couple of chances however the keeper was not going to be easily beaten. Micah, ruled out by the medical team earlier in the week passed a late fitness test and made an immediate impact coming off the bench.

A tight first quarter finished with two further Wolverines counter attacks however once again, both Peter and Harry stood firm. With a final effort flying just wide of the post, it finished goalless however this game was going to have goals and was far from a dull score draw!

The second quarter saw Harry switch with Anders to put on the gloves and as the game restarted, there was still very little to separate the two sides. Some early quick feet and clever movement from the Wolverines created an opportunity on goal however Harry was there to deny the striker. With confidence building, it wasn’t long before the combination between Rian and Morty resumed. Morty, who was traumatising the left back made a surging run towards the goal however his shot was repelled by the Wolverines’ stopper. Stanley began to get himself in some great positions from the left and helped to create some further chances for the Hawks. Felix and Micah both linked well with Rian, with the midfielder constantly looking for some clever passes to release his teammates. Whenever the Wolverines crossed the halfway line, Anders and Peter were ready and made some impressive blocks to keep them at bay. The best chance of the half fell to the home side however with the ball goal bound, in came a flying Anders to keep the scores tied at half time.

Into the third quarter, Rian replaced Harry in goal and after Wolverines had struck the post early on, it was Harry, released by Morty that almost put the hawks ahead. After turning the defender, the striker’s shot flashed just wide, clipping the outside of the post. An end-to-end tussle saw both sides trying to break the deadlock. Peter took up the central midfield role and after some good work from Anders and Morty it was Peter who had the next shot on target. Still however the scores were tied. Felix and Stanley combined well in defence, always looking to release the wide players and Morty again was proving to be a handful for the opposition defenders.

Pressure from the Wolverines was gradually building and not too soon into the quarter, a great left-footed strike from the home team’s attacker gave Rian no chance in goal – the deadlock was finally broken. Another flurry of shots soon followed however our goalkeeper was proving hard to beat and denied chance after chance. Soon however, a second followed and it looked like it was going to be a tough morning for the away side.

The Hawks though were not going to be easily swept aside and immediately took the game back to the Wolverines. Fantastic pressure on the defender from Harry saw him gain possession, and as he attempted to get his shot away, the ball fell to Peter who calmly slotted it home to put Hawks back in the game.

Now end to end, Rian was called upon again in goal and he made several more great saves. Stanley, Micah and Felix were continuously denying the opposition further chances with some astounding defensive work.

After a well-deserved water break, the final quarter was underway. Again, the action was end to end and the supporters were well and truly on the edge of their seats. A couple of early saves from Anders kept the away side in the game and they almost drew level after some good work in midfield between Morty and Harry released Rian to see his venomous strike fly just wide. A counterattack from the home team almost ended in a goal however Anders stood firm to once again deny them. It was the Hawks who would strike next, and a superb attack saw Harry find Peter in the area, who in turn found Morty with a calm pass, leaving an open goal for Morty to tap home.

As the game drew to a close, a long-range strike from the home team found the back of the net however in true Hawks style, our boys were not going to lie down and immediately went back on the attack. Despite plenty of pressure and corner after corner, a third goal was not to be however the performance from every player was once again one to be proud of and highlighted the incredible progress since the boys came together in early Autumn.