Mid Sussex 4s 4–0 Worthing 5s

The Mid Sussex Men’s 4s, aka the Fearsome Fours, kicked off the new season with an away trip to Worthing on a lovely, sunny day. With several new faces joining the squad, there was a mixture of excitement, optimism and the usual pre-match uncertainty about who was actually playing where. Theo, David, Si, Peter, George and Will all made their first appearances for the team, and thankfully none of them immediately demanded a transfer.

From the start, Middies looked organised and composed, with everyone settling into their roles remarkably quickly. Worthing found it difficult to create any clear-cut chances, leaving David with remarkably little to do in goal.

The FFs took the lead before half time when Si found the backboard from a short corner, giving us a deserved 1–0 advantage at the break. The half-time team talk was therefore conducted in the traditional manner: mostly discussing what was going well, what we could improve upon and the different types of champagne.

The second half saw the FFs turn the screw, with the team creating more opportunities and Worthing struggling to get back into the game. One of the highlights came from Andy, who produced a wonderful aerial pass from deep in defence all the way to Theo in midfield. It was an absolute beauty — perfectly judged, elegantly executed and sufficiently impressive that everyone briefly forgot they were in the middle of a hockey match.

Mark then added a second goal to give Middies some breathing space. George followed up with a well deserved third, making it an especially memorable debut for one of our new players. Peter then completed the scoring with a clean strike for the fourth goal, putting the result beyond any reasonable doubt and ensuring that the journey home would be considerably more enjoyable.

At the final whistle, the FFs had secured an excellent 4–0 victory away from home. It was a convincing team performance, with everyone contributing and the new players fitting seamlessly into the squad. Worthing had been kept at bay for most of the afternoon, while David could probably have spent the match catching up on his emails.

There was, however, one minor tactical error after the match: the team photo was taken without goalkeeper David. Fortunately, the important post-match tradition was observed, with the team enjoying a well-earned drink together.

Overall, it was a brilliant start to the season: four goals, a clean sheet, sunshine, some excellent hockey and a happy captain.

Special mentions go to Ben F, Theo, Toby and manager Phil for their contributions, while MOTM goes to Roly for an excellent all-round performance.

Next week we are at Eastbourne at a time only known to them. Watch this space for updates.