The M2s headed to Nowton Park on the day that Tim Henman and one of the Team GB gold medal winning ladies' hockey team (I think it was Llly Owsley) headed to Culford to open Bury's new pitch. Of course, we weren't invited and got to play the last game on the worn out Nowton pitch, the cause of much comment from some of the new players. Hell, we even had to pay for parking, unless you chose to walk from the cricket club down the road…*cough*…

With a team made up of nearly as many new players as those returning, it was to be expected when the captain received some abuse for starting last year's player of the season on the bench, even if he had just returned from his honeymoon! 

What wasn't a surprise was to see us start off slowly with all these new players, with names I forget. We soon found ourselves behind after the first of many aerials went up and nutmegged our skipper to put their forward clean through on goal. One-nil to Bury and barely five minutes gone; it couldn't get much worse but then it rained, ruining the substitution master plan. On a side note, I remember us conceding a much faster goal from an aerial against St Neots at the Abbey: those were the days…(power cut #2)

We were soon level, with some neat passing between the midfield sending Nev into the D who, when faced with his easiest scoring chance of the game, decided to pass to the unsuspecting Dom at shin height who put it past the keeper from a couple of yards out. A second soon followed when Dan was played in down the left and smashed a reverse stick cross between the spot and the keeper and Dom had another tap in to make it two-one.

The umpires started to get more involved at this point, asking us to play not in a friendly manner but to league rules and tempo to better prepare us for the season ahead. Could we see some cards in a friendly? It was only after the game we found this was aimed at them, not us, and for mainly substituting not on the halfway line. Not much else happened in the half until we scored our third from a deflection that most people thought had gone into the side netting - it did, but having crossed the line first: three-one with Dan getting the goal to add to his earlier assist. Half time and everything was good; it had even stopped raining.

Having not played the week before and read all about us blowing a lead at the end, it was fascinating to watch it happen first hand, Bury's second quickly coming from the zonal system at the back leaving their only forward unmarked to slot home another. This was followed by their equaliser which all came from the captain wanting to overlap and get ahead of the ball (something I recall the forwards hadn't done enough of in the first half) so it was only appropriate that we give it away and he be caught out of position. It was a nice finish mind, lobbing it over the keeper to the back post.

This time however we weren't done at 3-3 and soon had the ball in the goal again courtesy of a triple deflection, the last of which was a foot. Dom tried to claim it was off his stick as that would have been his third. The fourth did come soon after from some more good work from Nev (can you see why he won MoM now?). The ball ended up with Sam on the far post to give us the lead again. The fifth came shortly after. More good Nev work had Dom behind the defence, his first attempt saved but the rebound put away.

One final comment: such was the confusion from Dom scoring a hat-trick and then buying a jug that the early rumour mill had it down as a Coops hat-trick. Who knew that would get his goal king hat on for the games to come… Don't worry, Skip, I'll be back for the Nomads game, assuming that they reopen the two airports in time and that Hurricane Matthew doesn't loop back round for another pass. If he does I'll make sure to enjoy the time on the beach with Annsy…Matt over to you…after all, this is better late than never and the power still isn't back on.