Sutton 2s v Solihull Blossomfield 1s: 4-1

After a tough away loss last week at 3rd place Harborne, M2 knew a home fixture against bottom side Blossomfield was a good chance to put in a strong performance and hopefully move up the table.

Edgbaston quiz questions:
Scrabble: Sutton Coldfield = 22 points; Edgbaston = 13 points.
Neville Chamberlain was the former PM born in Edgbaston and who served as MP for the area.

1. Which 2 letters in Solihull Blossomfield are NOT the starting letter of a US State? (For example, 'S' is not a correct answer because South Dakota and South Carolina begin with 'S')
2. "The perfect blossom is a rare thing" is a quote by a character in which Tom Cruise film?

With Hydey experiencing the revelation that is coach Robin's trademarked non-dominant hand teeth brushing for the first time and the eternally youthful Paul T opening a conversation with Max by declaring "I'm not wanting to sound like a stalker but I know where you live" there was little way M2 couldn't have a good on pitch warm up. Add in the chance for the taking of a new official team photo by John (here's hoping some might have opted for a "we enjoy being here" facial expression rather than practising their mugshots on this occasion) and it was time for the game to begin.

The 2s started well, putting the opposition under pressure as well as retaining possession well. A number of chances came and went for the home side before Sam H calmly rolled strong round the keeper and slotted the ball in to make it 1-0. The rest of the half continued in a similar vein and a lack of killer instinct in front of goal meant the gap remained at only 1 at the break - credit to the Blossomfield keeper as well, including a great save on a Ryan B shot that appeared a certain goal.

With last week's MOTM Noah L providing yet another excellent half time sweet selection (genuinely concerned for the first person that doesn't remember the sweets or brings a poor selection as all previous winners have kept the standards so high), the lads were raring to go for the final 35.

The second half continued to see Sutton dominate possession and chances. Effective pressing by the front line of Sam H, Alex T, Ryan B and Dan W ensured Blossomfield weren't able to exit easily from the back and the team won a significant number of penalty corners. One such corner was converted emphatically by a Bloss defender from a Brewill pass - Brewill of course claiming the all important fantasy points as the scorer with no own goals in hockey. 2-0. (Side note - that was an entertaining and short lived little period in hockey history when own goals were actually allowed, I don't think GKs or defenders miss it though...)

Sam H then went on to score his second with a sumptuous reverse push from a tight angle once he'd taken the ball bast the keeper. 3-0. The only major blip of the game then came as a moment of lack of concentration by M2 meant a Bloss player was found worryingly free high on the left who was able to find a teammate to deflect the ball in to make it 3-1. Matt FJ then completed the scoring (apparently aiming the ball at that thing with posts and a net is a tad more useful when hoping to score a goal than shooting wide as per his first 2 attempts) to make it 4-1 and M2 achieved their highest scoring tally of the season so far.

MOTM saw a number of players receive votes but runaway winner was speedster Sam H (I've not heard him challenge anyone to a race recently now I think about it, I better check he's ok). Sam went for a Haribo tub last time he claimed the award, who knows what will be on offer next week away at Leek?

Leek 2s won 5-1 at home to Edgbaston 2s this Saturday, and sit 4 points ahead of M2s current 11 points tally, so a good contest is expected. Sutton and Leek played out a 2-2 draw in the opening game of the season at Wyndley, with the home side coming from 2 down in the 2nd half, so it will be interesting to see how both teams have progressed with a further 8 games of the season under their belts. See you at Leek High School at 14:30 to find out (yeah ok, I can understand if you don't make it for this one, it is a little far...)