BOTTOM-OF-THE-TABLE North Down stunned Raphoe on Saturday in Comber with a 5-3 win.
North Down 5 Raphoe 3
Raphoe have never had an easy game against North Down and Saturday proved no different as North Down were fast out of the blocks.
North Down pressurised Raphoe resulting in them making several uncharacteristic mistakes. Trying to get the ball out of defence proved difficult for Raphoe and the gave the ball away far too easily in dangerous positions.
North Down took the lead midway through the half from their first short corner – a drag flick finding the bottom corner despite the best efforts of Johnny Rankin in Raphoe’s goals.
Five minutes later North Down went further in front from their second short corner – another drag flick this time finding the top left hand corner giving Rankin no chance.
Raphoe pulled a goal back ten minutes from half time – their best passage of play during the half saw Luke Witherow tapping home at the back post after George Patterson’s shot had been saved.
Instead of building on this spell Raphoe seemed to take a step backwards again and just before half time North Down restored their two goal cushion from their third short corner and yet another drag flick finding the back of the net. The half ended 3 – 1 to North Down.
After the break Raphoe tried to get some sort of rhythm going but North Down were in no mood for letting them back into the game as they were quicker to every 50-50 ball and passed the ball around so much more fluently and it wasn’t long until they increased their lead to 4 – 1 from a switched short corner this time around.
It quickly became 5 – 1 – Simon Goudie was adjudged to have stopped the ball crossing the line with his body and from the resulting penalty stroke Andy McGimpsey found the inside of the left hand post to fire past Rankin.
With fifteen minutes still left on the clock Raphoe eventually found another gear and started to play a bit of hockey, a combination of Vincent Devenney and Ben Wallace stole the ball off the North Down defence and when the ball was played through to Stephen Cleverley he made no mistake firing home from the top of the circle with a reverse stick shot.
Raphoe played a lot better after this and created a couple of more half chances but North Down’s keeper saved well from Alan Lyttle and George Patterson.
As time was nearly up Raphoe pulled another goal back – Luke Witherow again in the right place at the right time to tap home following good work from Devenney and Cleverley. The game ended 5 – 3 to North Down.
After the match coach Rodney Bates expressed his disappointment in the performance and reminded the team that to win a game of hockey you have to turn up at the first whistle and play to the last whistle at this standard of hockey.
He was also quick to praise the team for their fight and spirit in the final fifteen minutes of the match and that it wasn’t all doom and gloom.
Raphoe are to stay in contention for the playoffs for the IHL a big response will be needed on Tuesday night as they host Mossley at the Royal School Grounds – push back on Tuesday night is 8.30pm.
Raphoe: Johnny Rankin, Simon Goudie, William Wauchope, Paul Stewart, Alan Meehan, William Kilpatrick, Kit Regan, Keith Meehan, Vincent Devenney, Alan Lyttle, George Patterson, Stephen Cleverley, Ben Wallace, Luke Witherow, Ian McGonigle. Coach: Rodney Bates. Manager: Richard Eaton.
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