Taunton C.S. A vs ECV Hornets C

The match began, threatening a repeat of the teams’ previous encounter; high scoring, with pressure at both ends. Hornets pushed the attack in the opening minute, earning a swift short corner, which was well defended. Almost immediately, Civil counterattack, winning one of their own, though failing to convert.

The pace of the game was dictated by the away side in the beginning. ECV had the best of the possession and territory, finding several holes in the home defence, forcing several saves. Although Taunton tightened up at the back, the away side scored first.

However, the Civil offence answered swiftly. Within seconds of the restart, Mark Sawyer found himself at the end of a lovely sequence of play and drew the sides level. When ECV scored a second time, the home attack repeated their performance, demoralising their opponents. Mark completed his hat trick shortly before half time, providing Taunton with a much needed boost.

During the last ten minutes of the first half, Civil began to gain confidence and their play improved significantly. With a half time pep talk reminding players to stay on their man, Taunton were prepared to retake the field.

Civil continued their fine play, working the ball well. Unfortunately, Hornets were reinvigorated by the first goal of the half. Whilst their attacking play was strong throughout the game, they scored two from short corners early in the half, retaking the lead.

After a forcible sequence, Taunton were awarded a penalty flick, which after discussion between the umpires, was reduced to a short corner. However, a few moments later saw a second given, after a particularly bad tackle against James Coles. Ben Whit wasted no time in converting the chance.

With the final whistle looming, both teams sought the winning goal. In one of their best plays of the season, three Civil players combined to move the ball, beating first the Hornets defence and then, the keeper.
Now with nothing to lose, the away team threw everything at Taunton, knowing that only minutes remained. The home side defended well for several attacks, including several short corners, but could not stop the onslaught; the sides drew level once more.

With the seconds ticking away, Civil set up once more. On the counterattack, they managed to win a short corner, which was announced as the last play of the match. Taunton committed every outfield player to the set piece. In a tense moment, the ball was fed in by Ben Caile and moved across the D. After a mad scramble the ball was stopped on the line by a deliberate foot.

The umpire wasted no time in awarding a penalty flick, and the two teams retired to the halfway line to observe. Ben Whit kept his cool and completed his hat trick, deftly beating the keeper. He was awarded man of the match.