The M3s came narrowly second in a fast-paced and open friendly with their Hertford counterparts, which was played in an excellent spirit between the sides.

After the briefest possible warm-up (the ‘jog’ getting twenty yards from the astro gate before the final whistle of the M4s match saw everyone turn around and head straight back), we set at it. Both teams were confident in what they were doing as they currently top their respective divisions, 5NW for us and 6SW for Hertford. However, it was the visitors who looked the more coherent in the opening fifteen minutes as they pushed us right back.

We were making occasional counter-attacking sorties, which drew a couple of saves from the visitors’ keeper, but these were very much against the tide as at times we struggled to get clear of our own twenty-three, let alone over halfway. George was doing manfully in keeping the visitors out (he had a stormer), but even he could do nothing about the opener which was tomahawked spectacularly in from the top of the circle. Some goal.

The pressure continued and around twenty minutes in Hertford doubled their advantage from a penalty corner. George made a good save from the initial drag-flick, but the taker was first to the loose ball and his first-timer on the bounce was sweetly timed and hammered home.

Half-time talk was about the effort needed in man-marking Hertford’s runners, and also on using width when we attacked. The message clearly got through as the fifteen minutes after the break was our best spell of the game. Our improved play got its reward when Simon mugged the last man, raced into the circle and caught the advancing keeper out with an unexpectedly early shot.

Two-one was swiftly two-all via the game’s scrappiest goal. Width was the key to it, the ball being worked to Max in the right corner. He went for a dribble along the baseline which looked like it had petered out as he stumbled, fell and the ball ran free towards the byline just by the post. However, Max somehow stretched out to stop it rolling out of play and then, equally impressively, improvised a drag around the post and knock into the open corner of the net.

Hertford came again after this, forcing George into more heroics. We were back playing on the counter and though we (Si) did have the ball in the goal one more time it was ruled out. From my position fifty yards away I wasn’t sure exactly what was spotted, but from there it sure looked wrong and the decision wasn’t particularly surprising. That was a turning point of sorts, as a few minutes later Hertford edged ahead again with a drag-flick fizzing home.

It could easily have finished four-two if George hadn’t pulled off his best save of the day from another PC, stretching out his right kicker to deflect another goalbound drag-flick. Hertford’s drone footage of this would be worth a watch. Yes, this match was filmed by drone! Eat your heart out, Premiership, you’ve not got that yet (have they?)

So it ended three-two to the visitors, which on reflection was probably a fair result. We gave them a hard game for sure, but they deserved to shade it. However it was certainly a valuable run-out before we return to league action next Saturday with a big game against promotion rivals, Kettering 2s.

Thanks to Rob, Ash and Lydia for umpiring. The later two both showed significant promise on their first ever go at whistling.