Men’s East League

Premier A

IPSWICH travelled to Wapping on Saturday following a confident 5-1 win against Chelmsford the week before. Ipswich knew that complacency had been their biggest downfall in previous seasons and often a good run of form would have been brought to an abrupt end at the hands of a team situated below them in the league table.

Due to Wapping’s usual home venue no longer being deemed fit for league hockey the game was played at an alternative venue in Bermondsey. This pitch change suited the visitors due to its wide fast and hard characteristics not dissimilar from Ipswich’s Tuddenham Road Home pitch.

Ipswich started the game brightly and took the lead not long into the first half, James Kingstone found enough space in midfield to throw a perfect aerial to Ben Dykes who was getting ahead of play from right back, he controlled brilliantly on the touch line and squared the ball along the base line at knee height to an advancing Ross Henderson, who tapped in the tricky ball for his first goal for the club.

Ipswich doubled their lead not long after when a long ball from Kingstone deep in midfield found Will Chrystal at the top of the Wapping D, Chrystal controlled brilliantly on his reverse, sent the defender the wrong way and slotted the ball casually into the goal from a one on one with the Wapping keeper. Wapping had the play for a short while camping themselves outside the Ipswich 25, but like recent weeks the opposition attacks were fruitless and the doors stayed firmly shut thanks to so excellent defending from all of the team.

An Ipswich breakaway involving Tom Watson, Jason Black and Tom Hearne earned Ipswich a short corner, which was duly slung into the net by Keir Dixon. Ipswich were now 3-0 up, Wapping did claw a goal back, a tackle from Keir Dixon outside the 25 was deemed to warrant a short corner that the home side slotted away. However, a three goal lead was shortly regained by the visiting side when a scramble in the Wapping D following some good running from Jason Black fell to Will Chrystal who was running away from goal, spun on a six pence and drilled the ball into the goal for his second of the game.

The away side went into half time 4-1 up and were determined to play the game all the way to the final whistle, as previously in the season they had been guilty of taking their foot of the gas when a few goals up at half time.

Ipswich’s fifth goal came from Tom Hearne who picked up the ball on the right hand side of the 25, turned two players and squeezed his shot in to make it 5-1 to the visitors. The home side totally deflated by now started to lose players to yellow cards for dissent and bad tackles.

Ipswich, feeling ruthless, took advantage of this and slotted in another two goals in quick succession from Chrystal who was gifted the ball from the Wapping defence, crashed the ball home for his hat trick and man of the match award. The seventh goal was a strange affair, Charlie Young struck a firm ball form a free hit outside of the 25 down a channel to a totally unmarked Jason Black at the back post, Black saw the ball coming and casually crouched down to show his reverse stick, Young’s ball found it perfectly and the ball deflected perfectly into the goal for 7-1.

The final goal of the day was also scored by Black, a deflected shot from Kingstone from a short corner lifted up hitting the goal keepers helmet only to rebound back out for Black to volley into the goal to make it 8-1 to Ipswich.

Wapping’s tactics of crowding the midfield to deny the Ipswich inside forwards the ball works to that extent but left visible channels for the Ipswich Centre backs to crash balls directly to the forward line. It was this long ball passing ability from Wrinch, Young and Kingstone that earnt Ipswich such a dramatic score line, that, coupled with some excellent composed finishing from all the forwards left for a very happy camp at the end of the day.

Ipswich host League Leaders West Herts at Tuddenham Road on Saturday, and with the figures from the past three games showing the team conceding only three goals whilst scoring 19, Ipswich will be more than ready for the challenge.