Pelicans 6 Colchester 2

Premier B

Pelicans 6 Colchester 2

Colchester slipped back down the table after their defeat, combined with results elsewhere going against them, saw them fall back to fourth from bottom.

The game started evenly, with neither side able to create any clear cut chances early on.

Colchester opened the scoring midway through the half. Rohan Khaira had a shot deflected wide and, from the resulting long corner, the ball found its way back to Khaira, who made no mistake in slotting home.

The game continued to be played out in the middle of the pitch, with both sides failing to impose themselves on the game.

Colchester defended well and gave their hosts few opportunities from open play, however Pelicans were dangerous from set plays.

From their first penalty corner of the match Pelicans had drawn level with a drag flick beating Grant Hibbert in the Colchester goal.

Pelicans almost had a second within minutes, however Colchester skipper Wayne Masters was well placed to stop the ball on the line after another drag flick from a Pelicans penalty corner.

Pelicans had taken the lead before half time when once again a penalty corner was converted.

The second half continued in the same vein, with the majority of the play taking place in midfield.

Colchester drew level when Ed Long-Price converted Colchester's first penalty corner of the match.

Long-Price took his tally to four in four games since taking on the penalty corner striking as he fired a low drag flick in through the keeper's legs.

Parity was not to last long though as Pelicans soon regained the lead when a cross from deep was scrambled into the goal.

Colchester weren't quite out of the game and should have equalised through Craig Warriner. Long-Price had a penalty corner drag flick saved but only as far as Warriner, who hit his first time shot high and wide.

It wasn't until the last ten minutes that Colchester were out of the game. Three goals in five minutes put paid to Colchester's hopes of getting anything out of the match. Two from open play and a hat-trick for the Pelicans penalty corner striker.

Hills Residential Men-of-the-Match were Grant Hibbert and Mark Kennedy.