Magnificent Reds make Ashford proud

Nottingham

It's easy to conjure up images of swashbuckling sword fights, arrows flying and the straight forward, legendary tales of good versus bad. Good overcoming evil.

Arriving on Saturday, there were roadsigns highlighting Sherwood, Loxley and all manner of other locations famed for their parts in Robin Hood's story. It added to the excitement, a city where magical things can happen that will be talked about for years to come. Facts will be twisted, moments exaggerated, but leading characters will be remain known and stand strong forever.

....and so it was the way the weekend played out.

The girls and their travelling support gathered on the outskirts of the city, smiles all around but you could feel the nervous energy. As with the semi final in Solihull, a drink or two to calm the parents. Shots of apple juice to calm the girls. A lovely, sociable meal together, with new found friends which has become the symbol of this season. It has never just been about the hockey. This legendary tale is about friendship, teamwork, grit through bad times and celebration through good.

Over the years, there have been many examples of fire alarms in hotels, sickness bugs and food poisoning, all manner of reasons cup finals can be interrupted and ruined for travelling teams. For us, there was just the small number of snoring dads (results of merry men? ?) keeping some of the players awake to ponder what will be on the morrow......

Conditions were poor on Sunday. Torrential rain and cold winds made it a gloomy start, and didn't help the nerves. It was a long morning as we waited to head to the ground where car parks had become mud slides and several of us were turned away to come back later. But the girls were in fine form. Looking the part in what had become their custom of matching plaits.

A quick photoshoot, because the girls are, of course, stars; then it was game time.

We were back to those thoughts of good versus evil. Good will overcome. But we couldn't shake the early nerves that offered a sluggish start. Timperley took the lead inside the first 5 minutes, some scrappy action in the D, and the ball somehow got in.

It was a single moment though, because despite one or two attacks, it was Ashford who held most of the possession, just not quite getting scoring chances until later in that first half. We needed a special moment from someone and it looked for all the world as if it had come, when Ashford won a short corner.

The instructions to the girls centred around doing the basics right, keeping possession, execute well and we will win. So the first short corner followed the mantra. Straight strike.

Remember Kevin Costner's Robin? Images of the arrow flying through the trees from distance and skewering the bull? This is exactly what Sophie Fraser delivered. A ball that you could almost see a tail of flames from, you could certainly see opponent girls diving for cover....it almost took the net away......too quick the cheers from our side. It hadn't hit the backboard. A millimetre high and still we trailed.

The umpires, or as I like to call them "The Sheriff" and "Guy of Gisborne", didn't make things easy for us (they were fine. but it makes a good story!). Sophie, still hurting from that miss, had Robin Hood in her head. Picturing herself in green, leading the team because we really needed it.......well, green she got. "Guy" whipped out a card and Sophie had to endure two minutes straddling the half time break. An offense we are still trying to unpick, but like King John's tenth penny tax, what can't be cured, must be endured.

Ashford were the better side. It WAS good versus evil, and like all good tales of old, a come back was inevitable. It certainly looked that way in the second half. Our girls flew out of the blocks, looking sharper, quicker and on the attack.

Not long to wait and we had another short corner. No decision needed. Sophie needed to regain confidence after the miss and her two minutes absence, give her the ball and let's just see.......Issy injected to perfection, Sophie Picton's stick stop was seamless and.......BANG. 1-1. Get in Frazzle!

We were on the up, but the game was not won. Like the band of merry men, (a tale if written today surely would have some more female support for Marian?!) this was not a story about one individual. Elsie made countless saves as the half began to turn again and we were put under defensive pressure.

There were star turns from many of the girls, but from the coaches bench, we were lauding Scarlett's play. The typical defence turn attack was there to see from Ruby and Sophie Dunn and everyone was getting in on the act, with mesmerising 3D hockey (thank you Aoife, Lizzie, Hattie).

There was some end to end. India and Isla had several bursting runs, Emily was tireless and inventive in the middle. Josie stretching play by flying down the right wing.

All 14 worked so hard. Deserved so much, and with less than two minutes to go, disaster. VAR would struggle with this one.....but then VAR struggles with everything! We still don't fully know which of our girls was at fault. We don't really know what the fault was meant to be. It doesn't matter, you play the game, you play the whistle and you respect the officials. Even when a Penalty flick materialises out of nowhere.

These are the moments that heros are made from, it is in the behaviours and attitudes under these conditions. All the pressure was directed at Elsie in goal, but I've yet to see a penalty saved and I'm 45! That's not the point. It was our girls not complaining, it was Elsie choosing right and almost getting her leg to it, but alas. It was Sophie Dunn almost arguing with Stan because she was more intent on comforting Elsie. It was a united spirit in the face of adversity in that moment when we knew.....winning didn't matter any more. This season had delivered. Bonds, team spirit, friendship. Hockey and Ashford Hockey Club had done for these girls what we always hope it would.

However, meanwhile there were still 30 seconds to play and Gemma was being briefed by the officials on the now unlikely suggestion of shuffles.

But was it unlikely? One last short corner awarded, the whistle was blown, it was all or nothing.

Great injection. The ball was loose, we didn't get the strike away but then it was struck.....whistled towards the post and could we get a stick to it? Fractions, but no.

And so this tale ends again pondering good versus evil. We had imagined this big club from the big city of Manchester as the bad ones. We felt like the underdog that would prevail, but as several of the Timperley girls came and applauded our players picking out Emily as their POM and Elsie for some fabulous saves we realised they were every bit as united as a team and for them perhaps also deserving.

For us, we are not quite done. One more day of hockey to play as we compete for the Tier 2 league playoffs. No doubt in my mind....there will be a tale to tell.