We definitely deserved a better result for our efforts last night.
We went into Chelmsford needing a win or a tie to make the cup Semi Final and the boys despite playing shortbenched again nearly pulled it off.
Sometimes when your luck is down this game can give you a kick and we certainly are getting that from the hockey gods right now.
Going in with only 7 Forwards due to injuries last weekend to Jagger Statton and Shannon Taylor it was always going to be a hard slog.Hats off to the boys they dug in and put in a great battling display.
The factors for the loss were giving up sloppy goals at the start of the first and third periods.Those lapses cost us,but I was happy with the groups reaction to those things happening and from last weeks heavy losses to Streatham and Invicta.Also the form of Petr Cech in the Chelmsford net who in getting the man of the match tells you everything you need to know about how the game went.
We kept going until the end and nearly tied it.We pulled Ross Miller to go 6 on 5 and with our net empty we scored to make it 5-4.We won the face off immediately and went on the attack,pulling Miller again,but just could not get the equaliser which would have put us in the Semi Final.
We have an honest group here in Oxford who deserve more luck than they are currently getting.The injuries to Statton and Taylor have left us short and that means playing the guys we have more,which in turn can lead to more injuries.
That being said myself and Shane Moore are on the recruitment trail and if things go to plan we may have one or two additions possibly within the next week,plus the addition of Matt Lawday which will feel like a new signing when he returns.
Moving forward we will need the continuation of that work ethic,that buy in and a bit more depth and I'm sure we will then start seeing results turn around.
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