Service dealt with - now for Irish Cup quarter
Civil Service 3 Cookstown 5
COOKSTOWN Hockey Club take on Dublin side Glenanne this Saturday at Coolnafranky in the Irish senior cup looking to secure a semi-final spot.
And they go into the game full of confidence and fresh off the back of yet another win in the league against Civil Service.
But Cookstown know they will have to play alot better than this if they are to progress in the cup.
Although it wasn't their most convincing performance of the season, the Reds still managed to come away with all the points, scoring five goals in the process.
On paper, it might look like Cookstown took their bottom-of-the-table opponents lightly. But the coaches were wary of this before the game, and drilled the team well in preapration.
You wouldn't have thought it as the game started though, as Cookstown soon found themselves 1-0 down. This was certainly not the start they were looking for, but the goal seemed to shock them into action.
Cookstown turned in a solid if unspectacular first half show, with Andy Barbour again causing havoc in the opposition defence, scoring two goals to send the Reds in at half-time 2-1 up.
But coaches Michael Haycock and Geoff Wilson will perhaps be a little concerned with a second half performance that saw Cookstown conceeding three sloppy goals against a Civil Service side still pointless in the league to date.
The Reds never really got into their full swing. The hockey was a uncharacteristically nervous and choppy and they were never really able to pull away from Civil Service.
Ultimately though, second half goals from Ivan Steen, Keith Black and a penalty flick from Godfrey Irwin saw Cookstown through.
There is no doubt Cookstown have the talent to compete with the very best on their day, but it is little glimpses of apparent complacency that leaves their supporters on edge at times.
But the coaches will make sure that there is no such danger of that come Saturday. They have been preparing overtime for Cookstown's biggest game of the season so far. The training has been intensive, and preaparation is going very well for the Cookstown men.
Haycock has secured some video footage of Saturday's opponents Glenanne in preparation. He is certainly aware of their strengths and the dangers they pose, especially from Irish international short-corner specialist Stephen Butler.
Haycock has a slight concern as a few players are carrying niggling injuries, but he is confident of having a full squad available for Saturday.
"We have a few players who were only able to do some light training this week, but they should be fine come Saturday," Haycock told the MAIL, "and we are at home again, we're unbeaten this year and we're playing some great hockey. We've avoided the so-called big guns and who knows, we might bring back the glory days of the 80's where we got to the final three times."
The game starts at 2.30pm at Coolnafranky. All support is appreciated.
Team: Ian Hughes, Ewan Butler (capt), Ian Hutchinson, Godfrey Irwin, Thomas Hutchinson, Ivan Steen, Keith Black, Andy Barbour, Stephen Cuddy, Timmy Smyth, David Ames, David Best, G Allen and Stuart Smith.
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Weather for Belfast
Monday 20 May 2013
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