Hook Youth 8 vs 1 Petersfield Town Tornadoes

A damp, chilly Hartletts Park welcomed Hook Youth and Petersfield for the first fixture of 2018! Never knowing what to expect as the Christmas break can always bring a lull in momentum - however, the pre-match warm-up showed good signs of Hook being awake and alert.

Hook certainly were... a very quick and lively start saw Hook storm to a 3-0 lead within the first 15 minutes and the players demonstrated some fantastic football, a very high work rate (notably from A D and B E) giving Petersfield very little time on the ball when they had it. The confidence from Hook to keep the ball moving and not be afraid to play backwards was terrific.

Half time saw a very strong scoreline but a few heavy breathing players due to the efforts. The second half was all about controlling the play without exhausting themselves. Credit to Petersfield, they could have had a couple of goals but for a fantastic goal-line clearance from D S and some good defensive covering.

The second half saw a more balanced game as Petersfield showed a lot more effect going forward and eventually earned a place on the score sheet. Hook made a couple of positional changes, to good effect, resulting in T L's first goal of the season and a well-deserved assist from M R.

Overall, Hook got straight back to their football, showed again how effective they are in attack but there were still too many moments of defensive positioning issues that allowed the opposition in too easily, with stronger teams likely to have capitalised more easily. Worth a mention was the efforts and effect of A D on the game; great progress from him throughout the season and partnering S G very effectively in the midfield - fantastic!

Same again next week.