Dereham 2 Cranes 2

NE14 Hockey East League

Division 4NE

Dereham HC 2 Cranes 2

CRANES achieved a draw but it felt like a defeat having led this match 2-0 until the final 15 minutes. In truth the result was probably a fair reflection of a game which was largely dominated by the home side and whilst the Cranes defence proved exceptional at breaking up play, ultimately it was the inability to relieve pressure for any prolonged period, particularly in the second half, that led to the seemingly inevitable equalising goal.

Cranes never had a period of real domination in the game but every time they managed to build some forward momentum they looked dangerous and the first significant foray yielded a well-worked goal. Nick Tiley-Nunn worked the ball well down the left hand side, earning himself a sideline hit at around the 25-yard line, he set himself and then drilled a ball in to the circle for Andy Bristow to tip high into the goal. Indeed, it was Tiley-Nunn again who created the second early in the second half, deflecting a Craig Bloomfield pass goalwards, which may have been enough to beat the keeper on it's own, Bristow touched on again to make sure it beat the stranded keeper and claim the goal.

From then on it was one-way traffic towards the Crane goal for much of the half, Cranes resistance almost holding but for an awkward bounce to beat the defence and allow Dereham to claw one back and then a deflection from a foot to equalise. Crane still had chances to win it, Andel Williams thought he'd scored before seeing his deflection miss the top corner by millimetres and Bristow himself failed to convert a solid opportunity at the death.