Nomads KC 1sts, 2nds and 3rds v Croydon KC 1st, 2nds and 3rds Three Croydon teams went to Epsom College to play Nomads on a cold Sunday morning, and despite coming back home with two defeats and a draw, probably took away more positive points than negative. Croydon's first team lost 19-14, the second teams drew 11-11 and the third team lost. There was an excellent atmosphere for all three matches, to which Nomads' decision to play the first team match last undoubtedly contributed. First up was the 2nd team fixture, traditionally a close match-up but one in which Nomads have more often than not emerged victorious. A changed selection and a variety of absences in the first team meant that the Croydon 2nd team was an unfamiliar one, featuring the likes of Richard Crabb and Nick Collier, and without stalwart members Paul Jeanes, Andy Withers and Sarah George. The first half was closely fought, and there was rarely more than one goal separating the teams. Croydon felt harshly done by several refereeing decisions, but if anything that appeared to spur them on, and they went into half time one goal up thanks to a Nigel Hudspith shot from distance. Croydon then appeared to surprise themselves by going into a four goal lead in the second half, and at 11-7 up with about fifteen minutes to go, the tide looked to have turned a Croydon shade of blue. But recent matches with Nomads should have taught Croydon that the home team were unlikely to capitulate without a fight, and so it proved. Two substitutions lifted Nomads, who slowly crept back into the game with a steady drip of goals that brought the score back to 11-11. Croydon's attacks were steady, controlled affairs as they sought the one extra goal that looked likely to win the match, but the visitors had a string of narrow misses and the odd disallowed goal to boot. The game ended at 11-11, which although a case of a point gained for Nomads and a point lost for Croydon, had plenty of encouraging facets for the visitors, not least for their match-long display of controlled aggression. Nomads too can be pleased by the strong physical response from a number of their young players. Confusion reigned after the game when Croydon captain Jennie Allen appeared to be awarded a yellow card on behalf of the visitors' support, who had been forthright in their opinions of a number of refereeing decisions. Whether or not Croydon were badly treated is of course irrelevant, for they have only themselves to blame for not winning a match that was there for the taking. The two clubs' 3rd teams were next to play in a less intense but enjoyable match. An experienced and confident Nomads team always looked in control and won the game comfortably in the end. Missing the Moore veterans, who went to watch Crystal Palace lose to Leeds, other Croydon players had the opportunity to shine. Youngsters Greg Dring and Daniel Pratt were among the leading scorers for Croydon. Dring in particular delivered one of his most dynamic performances at senior level. A slightly older Dave Rotheram also scored a couple of goals, including two one handed distance shots from the nether regions of the Epsom sports hall. Leah Palfreyman gave notice for the future with a remarkably mature performance against a very capable opponent. Finally the first team match. With Nomads' European place and Croydon's Premier League status both looking reasonably secure, this match was probably more significant as a warm-up for next weekend's BKA Cup semi-final meeting between the two, than as a battle for National League points. Croydon coach Ronald van der Bunt was also keen to see a vast improvement upon the previous week's humbling in Nottingham. Nomads were without the pregnant Irma Bailey, while Kerry Sargeant was only a spectator, giving Sam Rowbottom the opportunity to impress. Croydon were still missing the influential Steve Jones, and with Richard Crabb starting in the 2nd team, Paul Jeanes and Andy Withers were introduced. Sarah George was also given a first team start. The game started with both teams looking physically strong. Goal-scoring was a problem as it took the best part of ten minutes for the first changeover, probably reflecting the team changes mentioned above. The scoreline was close throughout the first half, and it tended to be flashes of brilliance or defensive lapses that created goals. Nomads' Dave Hart scored a particularly memorable goal, as he faked a return to a free pass and caught Withers unawares. The second half started in similar vein, but some inspired long shooting from former Croydon player Richard Burrows in particular took Nomads into a five goal lead with around 15 minutes to go. Croydon's spirits seemed to subside disappointingly at that time, and Nomads went on to win comfortably. It was apparent that Nomads had spent some time thinking about how to disrupt Croydon's set moves, and Anna Osbourne in particular caused problems in one division as Croydon tried to take up their post positions. But Steve Kingsford was unable to dominate Ivan Aquino as he did in the previous league meeting, when he scored seven goals, and these two excellent defenders largely cancelled each other out. In fact cancelling out was a common theme, notably Nomad's Jo Adams and Croydon's Katerina van der Buntova, veterans Paul Jeanes and Brian Carswell, and Kim Jones and Helen Eardley. Osbourne and Croydon's Alison Rotheram were taking no prisoners with a particularly intense physical battle throughout the game, but again, honours were even. Going into next week's semi-final, Croydon will need to drastically reduce the number of free passes they give away. With the experimental rules free pass rules in force, there is a desperate need to stop the likes of Jo Adams taking free passes from the penalty spot. Nomads may be hoping that Steve Jones' injury keeps him out for a third week, although Croydon did show in the first half that they can be competitive even without Jones' goal-scoring power. Either way, the match is sure to be another closely fought encounter. Croydon 1st team goals: K Jones (0), K van der Buntova (2), P Jeanes (1), I Aquino (2), D Butters (5), A Rotheram (1), A Withers (1), S George (2) Match Report by Andy Final Score: Nomads 1 19 vs 14 Croydon 1There were no Croydon scorers in this game.Submitted by on 23 Oct 05
