Hillcroft away, Prem - 21 Jan 2006

With Purley keeper Paul Terry working in the US of A this week it was going to be a tough game for the Purple and Gold. Dave Slaughter stepped into the breach from his usual defensive role, and early on Hillcroft looked to exploit the inexperienced keeper with plenty of outside shots, but he was up to the task and this only served to give Purley more easy possession. The Purley attack started well, controlling the ball and creating opportunities, and 2 goals by Jamie Tasko gave them the early lead, before Hillcroft pulled one back. Purley continued their good work in the quarter, especially Dave Cluney who is looking better and better every week, and had a 4-2 lead at the break.

In the second quarter Purley lacked the control they had in the first quarter, which allowed Hillcroft to have a much larger share of possession. Good face-off work by Hillcroft's Rob Clark gave them several scoring opportunities, and goals from the face-off and fast breaks allowed them to tie the game at half time 5-5. This trend continued into the third quarter, with the Purley trying to force the ball too much in attack, and giving Hillcroft too much possession which they used to take an 8-6 lead.

In the final quarter some ill discipline by Hillcroft gave Purley a man-up advantage for 3 minutes, and Purley exploited this to the full to bring the scores back level at 8-8. Hillcroft then managed to regain their two goal lead, but with two minutes to go Purley got back to within one with a well taken Dave Arnot solo goal. However Purley couldn't complete the comeback, and Hillcroft sealed their well earned victory with a goal with 7 seconds left. Final score 9-11.

One other point of note: Graeme Holland missed the game because his wife Nicki had just given birth to a baby boy. Congratulations to them from all at the club.

Goals: Jamie Tasko 3, Mike Barrett 2, Dave Arnot 1, Jesse O'Hanley 1, Nigel Tasko 1, Chris Spence 1