Lindum Hockey returned to home soil on Sunday, facing fourth-place Ben Rhydding as they returned to winning ways.
Lindum didn’t make it easy for themselves in the first quarter, but from then on they looked dominant, winning 5-1 thanks to goals from Sam France, Sam Dixon, Willow Mandil, and two goals from player-coach Matt Bell.
Last weekend, The Yellow Submarine tasted defeat for the first time all season, in a 3-1 loss to local rivals Doncaster.
First-Half:
Lindum started off quickest, winning a penalty corner in just the first minute, only for it to be put narrowly wide by Mike White.
That was the only chance for Lindum, with it being slower going for the rest of the quarter.
Ben Rhydding took their chances well and managed to take advantage of a slow and destitute Lindum.
After twisting and turning past a handful of Lindum defenders, Callum Franks attempted his shot, and managed to place it past the goalkeeper in the bottom corner.
Seven minutes into the second quarter, the hosts found the equaliser. Some brilliant play between Sam Dixon and Jack Robson laid the ball up into the box. The ball eventually found its way into the goal after a goalmouth scramble.
After some confusion, it was confirmed that it was Sam France that poked it in.
Just two minutes later, The Yellow Submarine found themselves in front. A penalty corner was set up beautifully to Sam Dixon, who managed to chip the ball over arriving defenders and into the back of the net.
Another two minutes later, Lindum found themselves with another penalty corner. This time, however, Sam Dixon couldn’t quite find the target, as his effort drilled just wide of the post.
Second-Half:
The third quarter started off slow, with no real chances as Lindum looked to get yet another win at home.
Cards were soon handed out though. A green card was given to Willow Mandil, after an aggressive push on a Ben Rhydding player when the ball had gone out of play.
Another green card was then given to Max Helme, who went into the referees’ book for swiping the legs of a player with his hockey stick.
The Yorkshire side found themselves on a strong counter-attack late in the third quarter. After a penalty-corner for the hosts came to nothing, Ben Rhydding found their chance to counter.
However, it came to nothing after a mistake in the area, which lead to a clearance for Lindum.
The fourth quarter was filled with goals. Lindum made it 3-1 in the first minute, with James Niven forcing a great save from Edward Snelling, only for Willow Mandil to tap it home.
Matt Bell then gave Lindum a three goal lead, with a ball going through Ben Rhydding’s defence and into the path off Bell, who placed it high in the net from a very tight angle.
Bell managed to get his second with 13 minutes of the fourth quarter gone. After a string of passes in and around the Ben Rhydding area, Matt Bell received the ball and chipped it over both the defender and goalkeeper to give Lindum their fifth of the day.
Lindum Hockey 5-1 Ben Rhydding Hockey:
After defeat in Doncaster, Lindum managed to find themselves winning again. This win has kept them three points clear of Doncaster at the top of the England Conference North League, and six of third place Timperley.
Next week Lindum host Oxton, who find themselves ninth in the league. Lindum will go into the game fresh off a strong win, and hoping to get back to a winning streak.