Old Southendian Men’s 6s secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Upminster in a match that featured moments of quality, moments of panic, and several long passes that appeared to be addressed to people in neighbouring postcodes.

The home side started brightly, playing composed hockey from the back and moving the ball with confidence. Our reward came in the 14th minute when Russ produced an absolute rocket of a strike. The Upminster goalkeeper saw it, admired it, and then watched it fly past him into the net.

The remainder of the first half saw Old Southendian dominate possession, although there were occasional outbreaks of ambitious long passing. Fortunately for the hosts, Upminster were unable to turn these generous gifts into clear chances.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Solid defending, controlled possession, and just enough chaos to keep everyone interested. The crucial second goal arrived midway through the half when Andy calmly finished a well-worked move to make it 2-0 and allow the sideline to start discussing whether the result was finally safe.

At the other end, Michael recorded another clean sheet. While his defence did their best to limit his workload, he still had a key contribution late on, producing an excellent save before celebrating with a roar so loud that local residents may have assumed Old Southendian had won the league rather than preserved a clean sheet.

In the end, it was a deserved victory: two goals, three points, another clean sheet, and only a handful of passes launched into orbit. A successful afternoon all round.

Man of the match award is shared between Austin S and Leonardo who both worked their socks off, wearing a path up and down their respective wings. Both clearly have a bright hockey future - and helped lower the average age of the team!

Special mention for Dave's chicken curry - complete with poppadoms and naan breads - absolutely delicious!