Vinay Patel
Following an eventful double-header on Saturday, the Ladies 1s recorded their first league victory against Reading, while the Men’s 1s were made to wait at least a week, after a last-minute defeat by the same opposition. Ted Graves and hat-trick hero Jordan Homann discuss what the results mean for their season(s) going forward.
Ted Graves
A frantic second half against Reading saw UoN trailing the game 2-0 and despite getting back on level terms, the visitors struck late to seal the fate of the winless Men’s 1s in the league.
The game was delicately poised going into half time, what do you think went wrong in the 3rd quarter?
“I think in the Premier Division, you have to be switched on for the for the whole game, for 70 minutes and I think that we were doing well and then had a little lapse of concentration. We ended up going two goals down, so I think it was when we started the third quarter that we weren’t as focused.”
Do you think the team showed good character to equalise after conceding two quick goals?
“Yeah definitely, especially against a team like Reading, who are quite an older team, that have been in the Premier Division for a few years, so they’re also an established team. When you go 2-0 down against a side like that, they’re usually a team that can keep it quite tight and not concede goals.”
To come back with the mentality […] is a real show of the team’s character
“So to come back with the mentality and score two goals so quickly is a real show of the team’s character.”
It was a pretty dramatic final quarter, do you think the support from the crowd helped you get back into the game?
“Yeah massively, when playing at home, the Nottingham crowd is always there in huge numbers and it massively helps us in the game. Not only during this game, but in every game that we play.”
What did you think about George [Baugniet] and Luis [Cuttle]’s performances on Saturday?
“I thought they were brilliant. George came back into the deep midfield for Tim [Ehret], who is currently injured and he played really well. He didn’t lose the ball much, spread the play and showed his leadership qualities as well.”
“Luis also had a great game. I thought the way he distributed the ball was very good, as well as his general blocking and number one running, which definitely saved us a few goals.”
What do you think the team needs to do better against Beeston this Saturday?
“I think we just need to reset our mentality and not feel like we have to pressure ourselves into scoring in the 1st quarter, which I don’t think we did against Reading. In terms of what we need to do differently, I think we need to get in the circle more and get some more outcomes.”
I think this weekend we’ll get three points and really kick start our season
“We’ve got some great flickers, so we need to win more short corners and also just stay dialled in defensively for 70 minutes, which I think we can do. We’re making huge progression as a team and we’ll only get better and I think this weekend we’ll get three points [against Beeston] and really kick start our season properly.”
Finally, Ted believes a win will open the floodgates…
“I just think that one win will really kick start us, all we need is that one win and then we can snowball from there. We’ve progressed a lot and I think all we’re waiting on now are those three points and I think once we’ve got them, we’ll take them into other games in the future and hopefully get some more points.”
A dramatic final quarter saw the Green and Gold put league leaders, Reading, to the sword in spite of their equaliser, courtesy of a Jordan Homann hat-trick, which secured their first victory in the Premier Division this season.
Jordan Homann
How did it feel to grab your first win of the season?
“Really good, we’ve been building up to it after a lot of hard work in pre-season and the previous games. So it was really nice to carry through some of the momentum of winning in BUCS to then win on Saturday as well.”
Congratulations on the hat-trick, which goal was your favourite on Saturday?
“The field goal, so the reverse stick goal, was definitely my favourite. I did like drag flicking, but it’s quite a nice feeling to score a field goal.”
After Reading seemed to be on top in the final quarter, how did it feel to win that penalty corner, leading to the winner?
There was the pressure of trying to make sure it went well
“Yeah, it was good, there was the pressure of trying to make sure it went well because a lot of hard work goes into actually winning the corner. So really trying to make sure that you get something out of it is really important, but I think it’s good to just stay calm”
What does the win do for the teams confidence going into the rest of the season?
“Yeah, I think it’s definitely boosted confidence and the positivity in the squad. Training has been really good and positive, so it’s had a good impact on people’s attitudes and positivity which has been nice.”
After losing the lead twice against Reading, what do you think you need to do better against Beeston?
“We’ll continue to just push how we’ve been playing because I like working on those performances. Using the team, just passing, moving and working hard for each other.”
It just shows the commitment to not letting that ball in the back of the net
“I think that’s been a massive thing for us, how hard everyone has been working for each other, especially in wanting to commit everything. I think we had three goal line saves, so it just shows the commitment to not letting that ball in the back of the net at times.”
Saturday’s double-header will feature matchups with local rivals Beeston, with the Ladies 1s starting at a slightly earlier time of 4pm and the Men’s 1s game following two hours later.
Vinay Patel
Featured image courtesy of Vinay Patel. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @uonmhc and @uonlhc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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