Double delight for Marlow as men and women celebrate hard-fought away wins

Marlow captain Kiera Allen, scorer of the match-deciding goal against Trojans

Image courtesy of Ian Foster @IFSportsImages

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Marlow’s Men’s and Women’s teams bagged six very valuable points at the weekend, both sides returning as 2-1 winners from challenging road trips.

First up were the Women, who travelled to Southampton on Saturday to face high-flying Trojans, who were looking for their third win in a row.

The first quarter was end-to-end with both teams attacking with pace. Marlow created the first goalscoring opportunity, with a shot on goal from Lena Sykora well saved by the home keeper.

Trojans then earned their own opportunities with multiple penalty corners which keeper Alys Ramm and her defence dealt with effectively.

Marlow’s breakthrough came in the last five minutes of the first half from a penalty corner of their own, deftly deflected into the net by Kerri Smith, leaving them a goal up at the break. Marlow repeated the trick early in the second half, with captain Keira Allen this time applying the finishing touch.

Urged on by enthusiastic home support, Trojans mounted pressure on the Marlow defence, but Ramm stood firm, and the score remained 2-0 at the end of the third quarter. Early in the final quarter, Trojans were awarded a penalty stroke when their captain’s skill drew a foul the umpire judged to be deliberate. The stroke was converted, leading to a period of pressure on the Marlow goal as Trojans pushed for an equalizer, but their defence held firm. This was a huge win for the reds, and although they remain 6th in the league, they have now opened a 3 point gap on the teams below, and will be looking forward to consolidating their position further next week against bottom of the table Slough.

The men’s team travelled considerably further for their match, playing Ashmoor in Totnes, Devon. The distance meant travelling on Saturday, overnighting in Sidmouth, with match day preparations beginning with a bracing seaside walk in the rain.

The match itself took place in monsoon-like conditions, but Marlow spirits were high from the first minute, after Jayden Zammler continued his recent goalscoring form, tapping in from close range, with the home side barely having had a touch. Conditions, both the weather and the pitch, made for a scrappy game, and Ashmoor equalised mid way through the second quarter, leaving the game in the balance at half time. Marlow were the stronger side in the second half, but struggled to convert their chances until man of the match Cal White lifted the ball over the keeper with four minutes remaining. A well-won victory owed much to Marlow’s persistence and discipline, and inflicted on Ashmoor their first home defeat of the season.

The trip home was a long but happy one, safe in the knowledge that this third consecutive win lifts Marlow to third place in the West Conference table. They will be looking forward to a repeat performance next weekend against Isca - yet another long away trip to Exeter - after which the three longest away journeys of the season will thankfully be done and dusted before the Christmas break.