CHARD know this is yet another game from which they should have taken something, but having allowed Vale to establish a three goal lead by the middle of the second half, they left themselves with too much to do to salvage a point.

For the first half captain Trevor Goss experimented with a five man midfield and Jonathan Day as a lone striker. This ought to play to the team's strengths but any formation depends upon doing the basics right. Chard's play throughout was characterised by too many misplaced passes, too many occasions when the ball was carried too close to the defender when a pass was on and too many situations when players were ball watching rather than marking an opponent.

There was little attacking threat from Chard before the interval, the midfield finding it difficult to get up to support Day. While Chard's defence also rationed Vale's goal scoring chances the visitors went in a halftime a goal ahead, pouncing on a rebound from a penalty corner after Theo Veal had made a good save from the initial effort.

Early in the second half, a breakaway presented Day with a chance to equalise but neither he nor Justin Green following up could beat the keeper. This proved to be an expensive miss when Vale made full use of one of their counterattacks to carve open the back four and score their second. When they added a third from another penalty corner, Chard looked dead and buried.

An unlikely fight back began with a near post shot from Alan Cheffey. The ball ended up in the goal but apparently did so via the side netting. Galvanised by this effort, Chard did then reduce the arrears courtesy of the Day-Green combination, Green flying forward Peter Pan-like to flick over the keeper after Day's surging run had created the opening. At their best Chard's forwards can make a defence turn more times than Dick Whittington and for the first time in the match there were flashes of this. An incisive exchange of passes between Man of the Match Dave Lury and Brogan O'Shea Smith opened up Vale's otherwise tidy defence for the goal of the game, O'Shea Smith applying the finishing touch.

It all proved to be too little too late. Chard need to shed their "Babes in the Wood" naivety in attack and be more ruthless in winning penalty corners rather than persist with attempts to shoot. They were awarded just one such corner in the whole game, Dave Penney's flicked effort being a few inches the wrong side of the post.

Thanks to match sponsor Beviss & Beckingsale Solicitors and umpires Jim Sainsbury and Jim Darlington.

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Chard Hockey Club train on Wednesday evenings at Holyrood School, Chard: U-11s (indoor) 6-7pm; U-14s (astro) 7-8pm; Seniors (astro) 8-9.30pm. New players always welcome.