Saturday 16th February
Hornets 3 - 4 Twyford Comets Reds
One for the purists this, a great game of football under an an ice blue sky on partly frozen turf, constant action to warm frozen hands and all the cares of the modern world cast aside for 50 minutes of intensity as two great sides went head to head in the last competitive game of the season. The Hornets having read the handicapper's guide to form generously allowed the Reds a 3 goal start and spent the last two thirds of the game straining every sinew to get it back. Lets not dwell on the first 20 minutes - apart from a Rhuari K left foot half volley smashed past a goalkeeper left clutching at snowflakes the only cheering was from the Red side of the pitch. After that it was all Hornets, urged on by Alfie and featuring some exhilirating runs from Callum and Nye making yet another goal for Tom, a gutsy right foot second for Rhuari, safe handling from Zach, bravery and determination from James and some silky skills from Mattie. It wasn't quite enough though but third place was secured and man of the match Alfie and his team can be hugely proud of their efforts this season in the league.
Saturday 9th February
Hornets 0 - 5 Twyford Comets Kites
On another day the score would have been 5-3 but for the tremendous performance of the Kites keeper. Tom, Alfie, James, Rhuari and Michael all had on target shots saved and for a long time the score was only 1-0. A boy named Schubert made sweet music in the Kites midfield and was instrumental in scoring with two composed finishes, as the Kites hit all the right notes in the second half. Once again the coach went for broke at 0-2 down and sent the cavalry forward, only for the Indians to sneak round the back and help themselves to the horses, our wallets, most of our lunch and three goals. Martin O'Neill I aint, sorry lads. Zach again made some great saves and Callum tackled far more effectively than Scotland later on that day vs Wales. Kieran times tackles better than a Peter Kay one liner and Alfie literally ran himself to a standstill, leading the team by example in midfield, Nye played all over the pitch as we went for goals in the second half. It wasn't to be though and as Schubert's symphony finished (this time) the Hornets could hold their heads high as they had given everything. Everyone played well, Rhuari got man of the match for unselfish running, some good tackling and a memorable (for him and his Dad anyway) trap, turn and pass.
Saturday 2nd February
Hornets 1 - 2 Burghfield C
A hugely unfair result on the Hornets who played the better football throughout and could have equalised after a Rhuari Kirkwood cross was met by Tom Mee but the ball slipped wide of the post by a ferret's toenail, thus reducing the coach to a gibbering tear stained wreck on the sidelines. This was one of the best performances of the year, despite being short of Alfie in midfield, with a great headed goal by James Burke the memorable momeny until the last kick. Man of the match Callum was everywhere and Michael was another star in midfield. Kieran made several great tackles at the back again and Nye got stronger as the game went on. Zach was on great form again making some excellent saves and Mattie had another good game. All in all a very unlucky performance.
Saturday 26th January
Hornets 9 - 0 Woodley Hammers
Noah put his ark back in the garage and the rain that had drenched Reading Hockey for forty days and forty nights finally subsided to allow the Hornets to emerge blinking in wonder at the yellow orb that had appeared in the sky. Woodley appeared dazzled both by the aforementioned orb and by the brilliance of the Hornets passing and movement as James Burke (one stolen off Alfie's foot) and Luke Pitson (one goal of uncoachable class) helped themselves to hat tricks, Elliot Glass (coolest guy on the pitch - is he Cantona in disguise?) and Nye Rees (another stunner from distance) added one each whilst the hapless Hammers half back handballed home the other one. Zach gave a man of the match performance in goals and Callum playing alone at the back was tremendous with several lung busting runs and one dummy that would have graced Murrayfield. Alfie and Michael shut the door, padlocked it and put the alarm on in central midfield, James and Elliot passed beautifully and Luke's speed bamboozled the Hammers defenders all game. Mattie had his best and bravest game for the Hornets so far, getting stuck in and keeping up a running commentary for the spectators throughout. The coach challenged the Hornets to add more goals in the second half having turned at 4-0 in the full knowledge that our rivals for third place Burghfield would be helping themselves against W&E. Unfortunately they won 13-3 so the goal difference gap is still as large. albeit we have a game in hand. The fixture congestion will be unwound by an Oxford University professor but next week we have a big game against W&E who are pushing us for third place and who have given us a hard game twice before. This is an opportunity to put clear blue water between us and them.
Saturday 5th January
Hornets 4 - 2 Twyford Comets Reds
No sign of the Hornets as this game kicked off, just some christmas paper, chocolate wrappers and discarded packaging as most of the team were still up in their rooms playing with presents. When the team did turn up it became apparent that noone wanted to ruin the season of goodwill to all under 11s by actually making a tackle or trying a shot on target. The exception was man of the match Nye "which way are we shooting" Rees, who smashed in three goals and terrorised, tormented and tortured Twyford while Tom tip toed through and thrashed in the third. Callum was safe as a stand in goalie, Kieran defended stoutly, Mike and Alfie ran the midfield while Rhuari, James and Mattie played better and better as the game went on and Santa's munificence became a distant memory. Hats would be off to the parents who turned up had it not been so chilly, and gave the team extremely vocal support (thanks Marion!) on a freezing cold day. Well done to all, unbeaten so far in 2008.
Saturday 15th December
Hornets 1 - 0 Caversham Trents White
"The bitterest pill is hard to swallow" the Caversham manager would have said, had he been a fan of the Jam, after his side had been robbed in broad daylight by Alfie Clifton sporting a mask, a gun and a stripey jersey. "That's entertainment" the Hornets would have replied, after a game that saw a heroic goalkeeping performance from man of the match Zach and never say die spirit from the entire team. 50 minutes of non stop running and tackling with no subs and a team missing three regulars against a squad of nine with no absentees and we still won! At the end the whole team lay down in the centre circle, tireder than a Bruce Forsyth one liner and unable to run another step. Everyone was a hero, Zach made some great saves, Kieran held the fort at the back, Michael and Alfie (what a fantastic goal!) guarded the centre midfield while Alex Humm and James tackled and stopped attacks down the sides. Up front Rhuari had a tough challenge against two good defenders but managed several shots on goal including one off the bar. A performance to be proud of and a great way to mark the third anniversary of the Hornets first game as a team, by my reckoning only seven matches lost in three years!
Saturday 24th November
Hornets 8 - 0 Kennet Valley Cobras
The call went out to Bill Gates of Microsoft from Reading Hockey around 10am on Saturday as the ref needed a new software programme to keep count of the prolific Hornets scoring feats. The performance by the Cobras defence was the most careless since a junior clerk at HM Revenue and Customs said "Shall we just bung these disks in an envelope, or what?", and once the Hornets had realised that trying to plough through six players alone was less effective than passing round the side, goals arrived faster than Steve Maclaren shot up the tunnel at Wembley. Tom Mee got his third hat trick in a row (4 in total), Rhuari made up for missing the ball and the net in front of goal with a cracking volley on the turn and set up two superb Alfie Clifton goals from corners. Man of the Match James Burke got one and had another one pinched off him by the ref and by Tom. Callum was never troubled in goal and Kieran dealt with any venom the Cobras spat at him as easy as swatting a fly with one wing. Mattie (Motty?) played well and kept up a running commentary for the coach on the sidelines! There will be harder games than this but it was great to see the team playing for each other in the second half, applauding each other and smiling, which after all, is what makes the world go round.
Saturday 17th November
Hornets 3 - 3 Wokingham and Emmbrook
"Come in" said the Hornets defence to the W&E attack, "take your shoes off, have a seat by the fire, let us fetch you a mug of cocoa, and if you fancy taking a few shots at our goalkeeper while we are away, we really don't mind, help yourselves". Thus it was that against a less talented team than the Caversham side that were dispatched last week, the Hornets found themselves 1-2 down and on the receiving end of the Hairdryer on the "high" setting at half time. The second half was a different story as Tom "make mine a treble" Mee completed his second hat trick in a row and a bit of grit and determination from Nye, Callum (great pass for Tom's second), James, Toby (excellent debut) and Rhuari in midfield and Kieran at the back was almost enough for a come from behind win. Alfie was man of the match, bossing the midfield like Cesc Fabregas in the second half, closely followed by Zach who made some great saves, handled safely and hit some teriffic long kicks. Had one of many chances gone in, the coach's mood would have lightened considerably. As it was a weekend that began so well with a spectacular hat trick on Friday night (I can talk anyone through it if required), was spoiled first by W&E under 11s and then by the Italian national team and a Spanish lineman. Had there been a cat around, it would have had to run for cover. Annoyingly, every team above us won, so this was a point dropped. Bah humbug.
Saturday 10th November
Hornets 4 - 1 Caversham Trents White
Today saw a new look Hornets team, with captain Michael "one arm bandit" Barker absent with a broken collar bone until after Christmas, Alfie Clifton appointed captain and alonside Nye in midfield and Mattie making his debut on the right and up front. The changes upset Caversham who had clearly been studying video footage of a different Hornets team. "Mate you have some big blokes" remarked the Caversham coach at the end and it was the strength of the defence with Zach, Kieran, Nye and Alfie (who formed a great partnership in midfield) well to the fore that saw off a spirited Cav revival in the second half when they got the score back to 1-2. The left foot of Rhuari Kirkwood, which has been getting closer and closer in recent weeks finally found the mark with a majestic strike, which Rhuari claims was "outside the D" but which most of us believe was "nearer the B". Mattie made a good debut and Callum was consistently strong going forward and bravely won the ball at the back. His bright idea to give Zach his cap when the sun came out saved a certain goal a few minutes later. Today's star was Tom "the dragster" Mee, who scored his first ever hat trick and won man of the match. When the Cav centre half shuts his eyes to go bye byes tonight all he will see is Tom flying past him on the way to another goal. Great stuff and not out of this league yet by a long way.
Saturday 3rd November
Hornets 1 - 5 Twyford Comets Kites
By mistake the Hornets took a wrong turning on the A4 and and ended up in the Emirates Stadium trying to keep Arsenal at bay, or at least that was how it felt against Twyford Comets Kites (how many names does one team need?). Somehow at half time the score was 4-1 to the Comets, which was hugely unfair on a Hornets team that more than held their own. Tom scored again and the whole team looked teriffic going forward and worried a team who had scored more goals in one match (18) than Reading have managed all season. Special mention for Nye, Callum, Michael, Kieran and Zach who handled the centre midfield/ defensive roles really well. Up front man of the match Alfie Clifton held the ball up superbly and found Tom, Rhuari and James in attacking positions regularly. Had Rhuari and Nye both scored when it looked more difficult to miss and had Zach not been blinded by the light for two of the TCK goals, the result would have been fairer. This entertaining game was made all the more enjoyable by Fiona Mee's shimmy out of the way of the nasty muddy ball halfway through the second half; a spot on Strictly Come Dancing is surely now a mere formality. Keep Dancing!
Saturday 13th October
Hornets 2 - 5 Burghfield C
A brave performance saw the Hornets slip to their first defeat of the season against a sizeable Burghfield team who looked like they have had more hot dinners than I have scored goals. The Hornets played right to the end even when all hope of winning had gone and in the last ten minutes it looked like the Hornets who were ahead. However, Burghfield's shooting from distance was more accurate than Robin Hood and despite some great saves from Zach, a few went in. The Hornets attacked at every opportunity and Tom scored two great goals to add to his tally so far this season. A great team effort, well led by Man of the Match Michael Barker and a good lesson for the future.
Saturday 29th September
Hornets 4 - 1 Woodley Hammers
The fruit ripens as we approach Harvest festival, but no plum will taste as sweet as the Hornets passing throughout this match. The Hammers goal keeper had reason to be thankful for the rabbit's foot he had stuck in his pocket pre match as the Hornets fired shots at him like a hyperactive octopus playing darts. A Hammers goal seemed as likely as a Cameron election victory yet the inevitable Swan Lake style defending from a corner let the Hammers open the scoring. The Hornets pitched tent in the Hammers half and everything including the kitchen sink and both taps was thrown at their goal. With the last kick of the first half a Rhuari Kirkwood corner was deflected in by a Hammers defender for 1-1 at halftime. In the second half Hornet pressure continued mounted; Tom Mee scorched onto a through ball like Lewis Hamilton and rounded their keeper to keep up his goal a game record. Rhuari hammered in goal of the season so far into the top corner from 20 yards and in attempting to kiss his boot in celebration, fell over. Michael Barker calmly led his team and never shirked a 50/50 challenge in central midfield. Alfie Clifton was rewarded for selflessly leading the line all game with a goal from a Rhuari corner. James and Callum both tackled and ran hard throughout and Zach made two great saves and looks more and more confident with every game. Kieran left several Hammers forwards looking as though they had just seen Paul Daniels make the three of clubs appear from behind their left ear as the telescopic Toms leg snaked out to take the ball away from them each time. Man of the Match went to Nye Rees though for a tremendous display tackling as hard as ever, but for the first time playing some excellent passes to his team mates several of which led to chances - all round a fantastic performance.
Saturday 22nd September
Hornets 1 - 0 Kennet Valley Panthers
Football strips, shorts, socks and shinpads had all been brought to the ground by the Hornet players however shooting boots had been left in a dark cupboard at home beside an old model of Thomas the Tank Engine. Often the Panthers goal looked like a branch of the Northern Rock as the Hornets queued up to shoot. Unlike the NR savers however the Hornets could not cash in and only Tom Mee got in the money with a cool second half finish that proved to be the difference between the teams. For the most part the defence (led by Kieran and Zach) was as safe as the Bank of England although the door to the safe was left open by some headless chicken defending after we scored. In midfield Callum, Rhuari, James and Nye in the second half strung passes together well, but too often panic set in and the ball was hoofed forward or out of play with as much accuracy as a blindfolded golfer on a driving range. Alfie led the line very well again and distributed the ball well especially in the first half. Tom threatened the land speed record and sent their defence into panic every time he had the ball. Callum won man of the match for a great spell in centre midfield, strong tackling and good heading. Congratulations also to Elliot Glass who won man of the match for a goal and a great display for the A team in their 3-1 win over Streatley Strikers.
Saturday 15th September
Hornets 2 - 0 Wokingham and Emmbrook
A fantastic start to the last season as a seven a side team. All the good work, fitness training and abstinence from sweets (yeah right!) in pre season training came to fruition as the team with the longest name in world football were stung by the buzzing Hornets . After a slow start as the Hornets waited to be introduced formally to the opposition before tackling them, goals from Tom Mee (on debut) and James Burke (a Hornets veteran) clinched victory. Only at corners did the team look vulnerable, otherwise Kieran, Nye and Zach shut the door firmly at the back. "We had so much possession", said the W&E coach, " but your defence was like a brick wall". In midfield various combinations of Tom, Michael, Calum, James and Rhuari ran tirelessly on a hot day and some of the passing and movement had coaches and parents purring in appreciation. Up front Alfie could easily have had three or four but was unlucky on several occasions. Man of the Match went to Tom Mee for a great debut and goal. His speed and skills worried the opposition all through the match.