Old rivals Surrey Spartans made the trip up the A3 to Sunbury to face the Men’s 1st XI on Saturday, looking to topple the league leaders. And from the moment they stepped on the pitch for the warmup, you could tell they were up for the game, and hungry for a win. Spartans were sat mid-table, but they’ve caused Sunbury and Walton issues in the past, and games between the two sides have often been close fought, and physical affairs.

In the continued absence of Will Taylor in the midfield, the Hawks made further changes to their line-up for this fixture. New signing, Ed Fileman, made his debut at Left Half, with young Academy graduate, Dan Littlefair, moving into the middle to partner Rob Stevenson at Full Back. With these changes the home side knew they needed to start well, and keep things tight and under control. But Spartans came flying out of the blocks, playing fast paced, aggressive hockey from the off, and cheering every successful tackle and attacking move. They also appealed every decision by the umpires, and quickly began to frustrate the Hawks with their incessant screaming. The Hawks backline in particular were getting increasingly annoyed with their opposition's tactics as the half wore on. So when Spartans struck first, the mood amongst the home side was low. Chances at the other end had been few and far between, and when the half time whistle blew, tempers were beginning to fray.

The second half was more positive from The Hawks, but Spartans continued to dominate in key areas, and were it not for Man of the Match, Paul Sinnaeve between the sticks, Spartan’s could have been 3 or 4 up after 15 minutes. As the half wore on, it looked like The Hawks could be heading for defeat. With frustration growing, and decisions going against the home side, the Hawks started to see cards. 1-0 down, and at points playing with just 9 men on the field, the situation looked bleak. But with 10 to go, The Hawks reacted quickly to a free hit on the edge of the opposition D. Collins weaved his way into the area, danced round the Full Back, and crossed it into the path of the onrushing Ben Littlefair, who coolly slotted it through the keeper's legs. 1-1, and a blessing for The Hawks. Spartans, incensed that they had lost the lead, looked to pile on the pressure. They won short corner after short corner, and were only kept at bay by some great defensive work from Joe James and AT running out, and the continued brilliance of Paul ‘Baco’ Sinnaeve.

The tension was mounting, and Spartans were throwing everything at The Hawks, but with 2 minutes remaining, the home side completed the smash and grab. Collins started the move, this time winning the ball deep in the Hawk’s half, before pirouetting past his defender and releasing Skipper, Matthew Chappell, on the Right Wing. Alex Taylor overlapped as Chappell played the ball forward, and having beaten his man, all the Spartans defender could do was commit a foul on the right hand side of the D. Chappell reacted quickest, taking the free hit and playing the ball back to Collins at the top, who found AT once more in the middle. AT squared a sublime ball across goal to the unmarked Joseph Jones, who completed the move. 2-1, and maximum points for The Hawks in a game that had it all.

The good - a fine performance from debutant Ed, and a Man of the Match performance from Baco, the first time a 1st XI keeper has won the coveted award in the clubs history, and thoroughly deserved!

The bad - an overall performance that may have got a win, but wasn’t up to the high standards that this side set for themselves, and won’t be good enough against tougher opposition.

The ugly - Four cards, and a lack of discipline that could have cost the game.

But a win is a win. A lot of learnings will come from that game, but what’s most important is the 3 points. We spoke to Paul Sinnaeve after the game for comment on his performance. “I can’t tell you what it was, but I just had a feeling that today was going to be our day. Even going a goal down, I just knew we had it in us to turn it around. This is an unbelievable team, and I can rely on everyone in front of me to perform when it counts. We might not have been at our best for long spells of the game, but when we needed it, when it really mattered, when the chips were down, we showed that we can turn a game on its head and deliver. A game is never safe with just one goal in it, and I just knew that if I could keep them at bay, we could do the business at the other end of the pitch.” Pushed on what he felt about winning the Man of the Match vote, he said “it's obviously fantastic to win Man of the Match, something that has never really gone to keepers in this side. It’s like an unspoken rule that we don't win it. So it’s nice that my name’s etched in history now, but the important thing is the win, and the 3 points.”

Next Saturday it’s 1st vs 2nd in South East Div 1, as The Hawks travel to East Grinstead, who sit just 2 points below them in the standings.