Birmingham’s Men’s hockey 1st XI came up against the strong Nottingham University side, and were on the receiving end of a 4-0 defeat.
A typical cold and wet December evening, the Bournbrook hockey pitches played host to what was an open game, where if Birmingham took their chances it may have been a tighter affair.
The home side enjoyed their fair share of possession in the opening minutes, but were unfortunately unable to convert any chances, nor capitalise on two short corners. Nottingham, currently sitting second on the table, made the men in red pay as they countered effectively, playing a ball in from the right, with the attacker ushering the ball past the keeper.
Looking dangerous in attack, Birmingham looked for a response forcing the Nottingham keeper to make some athletic saves, much to the home sides dismay.
As Birmingham’s frustration grew, Nottingham illustrated why they sat second in the North A table by making the most of a short corner and scoring to make it 2-0.
Undeterred, Birmingham sought to get back into the game, but they didn’t have the finishing touch that could beat Nottingham’s keeper, who was having an impressive game.
At the stroke of half time, Nottingham scored again: a rebounded attempt from a short corner was smashed into the top corner with a reverse stick. 3-0 to the away side.
The Lions came out with a fighting spirit but Nottingham’s second half display was impressive, not allowing UoB to get on the ball as much as they would have liked. The away side put the icing on the cake as their number 20 found the top corner from 20 yards, putting the game to bed in the process.
UoB did play some good football but unfortunately the luck was not in their goal this week. Birmingham will feel that had they had taken their chances they may well have kept Nottingham in their sights. That said, Nottingham’s second half display certainly merited the victory, albeit the score didn’t tell the whole story. Birmingham will of course feel the sting of this defeat, but is it vital they learn from this match and return next week with a renewed spirit. Best of luck!
