Lindum Hockey cruised past Brooklands MU to remain unbeaten in the England Hockey Conference North, winning 7-2 on Sunday afternoon.
Sam Dixon’s hat-trick, Matt Parker’s brace and one goal a piece from Ben Read and James Niven were more than enough to retain their spot at the top of the table.
The Lincoln-based side came into the game off the back of an unbeaten start to the season, winning six and drawing one. They have scored the most goals of any team so far this season and have conceded the joint least.
Brooklands Manchester University on the other hand sat mid-table, with very mixed form. The visitors had won two and lost two of their four games before travelling to Lincolnshire.
First-Half:
Lindum started well and made their pressure pay when they opened the scoring in the 6th minute. Ben Read notched his ninth goal of the season, squeezing the ball beyond Brooklands goalkeeper Josh Barlow from a tight angle.
The visitors had their first chance a few minutes later, as Lindum’s David Overton was called into action. He made a fine save as George Jones fired from the right of the shooting circle.
In the 12th minute, Lindum’s Harry Antill forced a good save from Barlow, before he was tripped a few seconds later to give the hosts a short corner. It was comfortably dispatched as Sam Dixon drag flicked it into the top corner to make it 2-0.
The second quarter was slower, as Brooklands struggled to create and Lindum kept a tight control of the game. They made their good work pay in the 20th minute as deja vu struck for Dixon.
He had his second of the match, drag flicking another short corner beyond a helpless Barlow.
The visitors had a singular chance in the second-quarter, as John Crossley was denied by a strong Overton save.
Second-Half:
The second-half started with another Lindum goal from a short corner. It was Matt Parker who converted this time, driving the hosts into a 4-0 lead after just the half-time break.
After some good work from James Niven and Harry Antill, Willow Mandil should’ve added a fifth as he wafted at a ball from close range, however he fluffed his lines.
The table-toppers were proving why they sat above everyone else in the division, but their afternoon hit a controversial speed-bump in the 38th minute.
Tom Dixon converted a penalty stroke after the officials judged that Overton had stopped play and prohibited a clear goalscoring opportunity as the ball got stuck underneath him.
The penalty smacked the post before rolling across the line and eventually creeping over the line. It gave Brooklands a lifeline, cutting the arears to a still-daunting 4-1.
The lifeline soon disappeared as Sam Dixon completed his hat-trick. He flicked the ball home from close range, much to his and Lindum’s delight.
Player-coach Matt Bell was absent from the hosts’ team, but Lindum made sure of a dominant afternoon’s display.
That being said, Jack Cox has a chance for the visitors from a short-corner, but Overton produced a fine, acrobatic spot to keep the score at 5-1 in the last quarter.
Brooklands eventually had their second, as Adam Simpson chipped the ball over Lindum’s ‘keeper after a scramble in-front of goal.
However, Lindum didn’t let their foot off the pedal, and continued to relentlessly hammer the Brooklands’ goal. Dixon and Mandil both had good efforts saved, before Matt Parker completed his brace from a short corner in the 55th minute.
Late on, James Niven notched a seventh Lindum goal of the afternoon. Dixon almost added a final flourish from a penalty corner, but the hosts were made to settle for a comfortable 7-2 victory.
Lindum Hockey 7-2 Brooklands MU Hockey:
It was a deserved win for Lindum Hockey, who remain top of the England Hockey Conference North and extend their overall unbeaten run to a staggering 31 games.
Lindum won at home for the second consecutive week, sweeping past a Brooklands Manchester University side that caused some problems, but lacked the doggedness to keep a fierce Lindum attack out.
The hosts converted four of their five penalty corners of the game in a good sign of their dominance. They now travel to Wakefield and Belper over the next two weeks before the season reaches its winter break.