HOCKEY
Trojans 3, IW 1
IW TRIED hard to get their season back on track and played some outstanding hockey, but ultimately lost.
From the first whistle, IW took the game to the hosts, Tony Howsam making some threatening runs down the left hand side and Steve Woodford coming close to opening the scoring.
Tom Young then had his penalty corner shot saved after Steve Johnston was fouled.
But against the run of play, It was Trojans who took the lead and moments later they doubled their advantage, both on penalty corners.
IW came back early in the second half through Young before Johnston thought he had levelled the scores, only for his goal to be disallowed.
Trojans scored their third on the break and the final whistle left the IW wondering how they could lose a match where they had performed so well.
IW II 1, Portsmouth and Southsea II 3
IW II’S somehow failed to take any points off Portsmouth and Southsea at Smallbrook, despite dominating large parts of this match and seeing three shots cleared off the line.
The home side were in confident mood going into the match and started very well, creating a number of early opportunities.
Several chances went begging, with Reece Finney, James Liddiard and Simon Butler all testing the visiting keeper. Dan Groves then thought he had grabbed his second goal of the season, only to see a defender come from nowhere to sweep his shot off the line.
Liddiard then went even closer but the Portsmouth and Southsea goalkeeper managed to turn the ball behind despite diving backwards, before the away side took an undeserved lead through a counter-attack move that saw the ball swept home on the goal line.
For all their dominance, the IW found themselves a goal down going into the break and knew they needed to get an early breakthrough in the second half.
Instead of piling on the pressure as the second half started, the IW stuttered and this led to Portsmouth and Southsea scoring their second, then their third.
The IW kept digging away at the Portsmouth and Southsea defence and eventually they scored a well-deserved goal, Finney flicking the ball home into the roof of the net from a short-corner routine.