Match Reports
01/04/06
Tunbridge Wells 1-7 Men's Veterans XI
A year ago Brighton Vets were at the receiving end of a similar scoreline after the last game of the season away at Bognor. To paraphrase Harold Wilson "a season is a long time in hockey" and this victory away at Tunbridge Wells demonstrated how far things have progressed since those dark days.
The additions of Davinder Dhillon and David Baker changed the balance of the side but it did give Guy Nelson the opportunity to show what could be done at Centre Forward in the absence of leading goalscorer, Adrian Adams. In fact it was the other missing forward, Rob Scrivens, whose absence had a more profound effect as five of the seven goals were scored from withing two feet of the goal-line. Rob - you would have been in paradise.
Although three - one up at half time with goals from Dhillon (18 inches) David Martin (23 inches) and Tim Ireland (15 yards) the visiting side were in danger of letting the pace slow down to match the opposition. Things picked up after the interval and Dhillon added a further two goals (combined distance 20 inches), one from a fiercely hit shot from Atul Patel. Martin doubled his tally managing to get his stick to Ireland's short corner while standing on the line and finally Nelson's shot from the top of the D managed to avoid all the goal-hanging sticks to make seventh heaven.
With the game and season finally over the team was able to reflect on a job well done while John Spearman went home to much sympathy from his family for the bloodiest nose of the year.