1st Team first win of the season

Report by Steve Innes
BBHC 1XI 2 – 4 CHC 1XI

Crawley made the trip to Bexley Heath with a new formation due to a few absentees and a couple of new additions to the squad.
Crawley started the game well and the shape of the team stifled the opposition giving them little to work with and opportunities to counter attack with good balls into space from James Ortyl and Ollie Robinson at fullback, pace from midfield provided by Dan Evans, Reece Banton, Jonny Reigate and Brendan MacCaoilte and hold up play from strikers Steve Innes, Kieran Fuller and Jay-Tee Carter.

After a couple of routine saves for Luke Murphy in goal that kept the score to 0-0, it was not until the 25 mins after a quick counter attack from Crawley that saw them pick up their first short corner. This turned rapidly into six short corners in a row due to a combination of a sticky injection spot and good running out from the BBHC defenders, the sixth corner ended in a goal when a new routine from the training ground ended up with a goal from an unlikely source, James Innes. Innes completing a lovely donk finish (learnt from his brother) through the keepers legs.

Much of the same for the rest of the first half with Crawley looking solid in possession and breaking through the lines to cause problems and working hard to get back into shape to give the opposition nothing in attack.

Early in the second half after a good tackle in the midfield Crawley broke with pace and Brendan MacCaoilte slipped round the outside of the defence to calmly lift a finish into the top of the net.

Crawley gained confidence from the two-goal advantage and went to play some free-flowing hockey that was started from the centre back pairing of Mark Brightwell and James Innes.

A good move ended in a short corner win and another slick routine saw the ball fall to Jonny Reigate who found the bottom corner with pace and accuracy. 3-0 up and the game was getting away from BBHC, the quick ball movement from defence to attack saw some great opportunities created with Steve Innes, Dan Evans and Kieran Fuller all thinking they could have scored with some nice deflections but for some great saves by the BBHC goal keeper.

With BBHC pushing forward gaps appeared for Crawley to exploit, after a quick ball from defence Jay-Tee Carter picked the ball up inside the BBHC half, and with the BBHC defenders drawn away by movement from the two other forwards Jay-Tee found himself with space to attack and kept going all the way to the top of the area where he slotted the ball under the rushing keeper with composure ahead of his years to score his first goal for the 1st XI in his first league start, as well as picking up the MoM award.

A slack last couple of minutes saw BBHC score two consolations goals and not give Crawley a clean sheet they probably deserved.

Finally off the mark with 3 points and onto another tough away game next week against Folkestone.

Team: Murphy, Robinson, J. Innes, Brightwell, Ortyl, Banton, MacCaoilte, Reigate, Evans, Fuller, S. Innes. Sub: Carter
Goals: J. Innes, MacCaoilte, Reigate, Carter
MOM: Jay-Tee Carter
DOD: Brendan MacCaoilte