After last week’s game at warm and sunny Mellor, a windy, cold and snowy Rochdale was a bit of a shock for the MC players and parents. The writing was on the wall when the boiling-hot coffees bought at the clubhouse were, at best, lukewarm when they reached pitch-side.

The reverse was true for the players in that they took the best part of the game to warm-up …. If in fact they ever warmed up. Certainly in terms of goals this was true with half the goals coming in the last quarter – which was also a consequence of some straight-talking (bollocking is too strong a word) from Dan and Borat at a “time-out” towards the end of Q3.

To the match…

From the start it was obvious that MC was the stronger side – possession from the face was followed by a period of good controlled play which ended with Cameron hitting the post. The early attacks from Rochdale were snuffed out by the defence and after more good possession, Matt opened the scoring. With one minute left on the clock, Brandon doubled the score with a sweet grass-cutting shot.
The second quarter was frustrating for the players and parents alike. MC enjoyed most of the possession but struggled to find the net. Elliot narrowly missed following a great take, spinning-in-the-air jump and shot. A minute later George hit the bar with a short range shot following his quick take.

Eventually, Joe (who had a great game) ran from deep following a feed from the MC defence to score.

The MC defence was as solid as ever with Tom, Will, Louis and Isaac combining well to combat the Rochdale threat. They were winning the majority of ground balls and their distribution to the short sticks was consistently effective – no wasted passes. As ever, Cameron and Elliot ran the mid-field and the distribution around the opposition goal with efficiency and speed; and, when it called for it, they put themselves in harm’s way to try and stop Rochdale break-outs. Alex, was strong at the face-offs and a few Rochdale players rued the day they tried to bounce him of the ball when he was running at speed – they’ll learn.

Miles kept a clean sheet in the first half having dealt with the Rochdale shots pretty well throughout. The only heart-stopping moment was when he seemed to forgot he was responsible for protecting the posts and charged down the pitch with that “mad-max” look in his eyes which we all know and love! But no harm done.

The first half ended 3-0 to MC.

George took over in goal but before he’d had a chance to warm-up, the Rochdale forwards sensed “new blood” and fired in two goals from long range. 3-2

This gave Rochdale renewed hope and energy and they threw a series of attacks at MC defence – which continued to hold fast. Although not a dirty match, it was certainly tough with big hits (not all legal) put in by both sides.

Driven on by Borat and Dan’s frustration, Cameron slotted home two goals to put a little space between the teams (5-2).
At this point, there was a short intermission which meant Dan and Borat could, ever-so-politely, remind the MC players (and forwards in particular) of the best way to score goals .

The fourth quarter started with the rocket duly delivered …..and the MC players responded positively. Matt started the rout with the “take” of the match (see photo). It started with a fast charge from mid-field by Josh who, under pressure from Rochdale defenders, delivered a powerful pass to Matt. The pass came in high and slightly behind Matt but he managed to catch (possibly one- handed) and slot the ball home. Even the frozen MC parents, who had not been able to move for 30 minutes or more, were seen to nod their approval.
Matt was getting the hang of this goal-scoring thing, and scored a second a few minutes later. Borat, ever the one to motivate his players with praise and encouragement, asked Matt where he’d been for the last three quarters.

More goals followed, as MC put together the best lacrosse of the match. Clear-outs by the defence led to fast attacks which resulted in three more goals before the final whistle. The first one was from Brandon – only 3 passes from the defence to the net. Cameron then added to his tally and, finally, Miles scored from a long shot after a powerful charge from mid-field.

George, made some good saves, including one off his helmet, but hey….they all count.

Five goals in the quarter and a final score of 10-2. Goals by, Brandon (2), Cameron (3), Joe, Matt (3)and Miles

Photos courtesy of Tom’s dad are on their way.