Surrey Spartans Go Undefeated

Team Surrey Spartans knew that the first 3 games of their season were crucial, being drawn against the 3 teams that we thought would all be pushing for the title, we had to get off to a flying start taking points from all of those games to not fall behind early on. The first game of the season saw a fresh and ready Spartans team travel into london to play Wanderers HC on what can only be descibed as a cross between a sandpit and a astroturf. The slow pace did not help the style of play we hoped to achieve in out first game seeing a slow start to the game. Lots of rust was shown and also glimmers of hope for the season to come seeing Spartans walk away with a 2-2 draw. Giving the team moment to roll over Guildford 4-2 at home and a nervy 6-5 win away at Trinity. Taking 7 points from the first 3 games was a huge acheivement and gave us huge moment going into play teams in the lower end of the table where we have slipped up in previous years. 

With the added strength of our new recruits from the Univesity team and our seasoned stallwarts all starting to click the team started to gel together and churn out a series of impressive results the following 6 games saw a 7-4 show of dominace vs EUHC Gambler, a 1-0 grind it out result away at Epsom, more goals at Kenley with a 5-3 win, a midseason stutter with a 0-0 at home vs Woking, A 8-0 bounce back from a draw the week before at Addiscombe (A place we knew all too well after going a week late to the Surrey plate. Special mention to Ed for that.) and finally a 2-1 win at home vs league newbies Sundbury & Walton. 2 games to go until a much needed Christmas break and this is where coach Kristian asked for focus getting to Christmas top of the pile and we go again. The team showed they had no intention of faltering before Christmas with a 7-2 & 8-2 against Bank & Purley. Top of the pile at Christmas and 4 points clear and the future of promotion firmly in our hands with the first 3 games of the new year. 

New year and Spartans began to remember what hockey was just before their first fixture of the year against familar oponnents Wanderers HC at home. This game was always seen as a banana skin in the race for promotion, we turned up and played face paced hockey and moved the ball to take a 2-0 win seeing us gain some breathing space on one of the challangers in the league. Next up Guildford away a short trip over to Goldalming saw us at a familar pitch and against familar opposition. With nightmares of last years drubbing fresh in our minds Spartans knew this time that was going to happen. With a very tense affair seeing it being 1-1 at HT Spartans were playing well and with a slight tactical change made, they were able to free up the necessary players to cause Guildford issues. 2-2 into the final minutes and it was looking like the top two teams in the league currently were destined for a share of the spoils. Until a last minute winner comes from Spartans to steal all 3 points and a 7 point buffer at the top of the table. Seen as a huge day in our chase for league promotion. 

Next saw a 2-1 home win against a fustrated Trinity Midwhitgiftian side due to a very stop start season. Then came the snow so an unexpected week off for Spartans which was far from ideal. The following week spartans squeezed a 2-2 draw from Epsom who came with a strong side and asked some serious questions of the team, another mistake avoided. Then came a dispatching of Kenley winning 8-1 away and with a tough away trip to Woking hoping the momentum from previous games set to carry through. With the sun beating down on the hockey pitch at Woking and spartans without their captain after his mid season skiing trip, we had to rally the troops and walk away with some points to continue momentum. A tight affair saw goals for either side all the way through the game with it going into 3-3 with minutes to go. a Penalty stroke to spartans was dispatched and with that the 3 points stolen from the home team, much to the annouyance of the crowd. On we marched 5 games to go and 3 wins needed to be guarenteed 2nd spot. 3 we wanted 5 we gave, with huge wins in the last five games seeing us score 25 goals in 5 games and conceeding 5 goals. With the final game being a 4-0 away at EUHC Gamblers an eventful day for most seeing some of our team arriving in intresting attire at pre game breakfast but turning up and giving a huge performance to Win the League. We had done it. A unbeaten season. The 1st team to go through Surrey Div 1 unbeaten since 1999.