Men's 1s clean up against Hamble with 4-0 win.

Reigate Priory notched up their second consecutive victory of the season away from home against a stern opposition in the shape of Hamble 1s. On the back of an impressive 5-3 victory at Home to Fareham 2s last week, Reigate were in a confident mood heading into the South Coast encounter but remained cautious not to underestimate Hamble, an experienced team who had not yet secured a point in the testing Hampshire/Surrey - Regional 1 division and were clearly seeking to change that statistic.

Reigate started the game positively by pressing high early on, controlling the midfield and allowing for defensive pair of Matt Alexander and Aaron Wood to advance forward and encourage the strikers to utilize the flanks. Reigate’s experienced triple threat of Tom Pickersgill, James Chesterton and Matt Heskey-Rankin were given free-reign, and controlled the forward line with a devastating display of skill and drive to secure a number of short corners for the away side but frustratingly could not take the upper hand and put the goals away. The match remained at 0-0 with Goalkeeper and Captain Henry Williams remaining alert as the occasional through ball to an exposed Hamble forward always demonstrated an omnipresent threat, and signalled the home side’s determination for the 3 points.
A competitive and clearly frustrated Reigate side could have imploded at this point, however a central midfield combination of Simon Owen and James Brooker anchored the side and created waves of attack through clever short-sharp passing and provided a calming influence on the team who clearly were desperate to dismantle the Hamble defence.

The breakthrough came through Owen Morris, an excellent single display of attacking play by the left back as Morris gathered the ball from his own half and dribbled confidently through the static Hamble midfield and calmly slotted the ball into the goalkeepers near post- amid a deflection from a Hamble defender. It was a Reigate’s combined pressure which deserved a well earnt 1-0 lead heading into the break.

The second half began with the confident Reigate seeking an attacking intent, aiming to continue the second half as they finished the first.

Reigate’s positive play was tested as the team lost their discipline as forward Matt Heskey-Rankin and defender Nick Chadwick were given their marching orders- a green and yellow card in quick succession for breaking down play respectively. As both players left the field in quick succession this left the team with 9 players facing a tough 5 minutes with Hamble at a 2-man advantage. A former Reigate team may have buckled under the pressure, however the team showed grit and determination to maintain the slender advantage.

Reigate’s determination finally paid off, as a forward passing play resulted in a Tom Pickersgill thunderbolt of a shot from the top of the D found its way into the roof of the net, stunning the Hamble goal keeper into a standstill. The away team relaxed and found their momentum as excellent midfield play by Chesterton and Chadwick fed through forward Heskey-Rankin on goal to slot cooly home for his first goal of the season. Reigate’s performance was capped off by a short corner, expertly dispatched by forward Pickersgill into the Goal keeper’s left post.

The final result of 4-0 was a fair result, with Reigate showing signs of a team growing in confidence. Reigate take on Southampton next week aiming for a third victory and to climb the table. Supporters very welcome – 1.30 push back at RGS Hartswood.