Free scoring Anderson sizzles at Cookstown

Bann Seconds 3

BANBRIDGE Seconds overcame wintry conditions and a dogged Cookstown Second XI on Friday night to record a 3-2 win and claim their first points of 2010.

A strong Banbridge side made the trip to their Tyrone rivals buoyed by the return of free scoring centre back Doug Anderson and desperate to return to winning ways after a lean winter spell.

The weather threatened to call a halt to proceedings as Cookstown’s recently unveiled playing facilities bore a closer resemblance to an ice rink than that of a hockey pitch. The Arctic conditions failed to cool either side’s desire to play the match and after a conservative warm up Cookstown got the orange ball rolling, atop a blanket of snow.

Bann paid scant regard to the plummeting temperatures and incessant snow fall with their quick, early tempo. It was the home side who were caught cold when Doug Anderson marked his return to Junior One action with a thunderous penalty corner flick into the top right, providing Bann with the opening goal.

One goal quickly became two as the in-form Jamie Wright capitalised on some poor defending in the Cookstown circle by sliding the ball under the goalkeeper from close range to notch his second goal in as many weeks.

The weather deteriorated as the half wore on, which had an adverse effect on the standard of hockey being played. Visibility was poor and grip from the pitch was virtually nonexistent.

However, it was testament to the technical quality of both sets of players that any attacks on goal could be manufactured and provide some kind of spectacle for the few hardy locals who braved the conditions to support.

Bann’s lead was halved shortly before half time when a straight ball bisected the visiting centre back pairing, leaving Beattie exposed to a two on one situation which Cookstown made no mistake in exploiting, with the onrushing forwards exchanging passes before slipping the ball into the empty goal.

Until that moment Bann’s defence had dealt expertly with Cookstown’s limited excursions into the away side’s 25 with Bell, Burns and Macauley defending particularly resolutely.

Conditions were equally difficult in the second half but the determined attacking play of McAnulty and Magee, combined with the clever movement of Kelly and McKnight, allowed Banbridge to adopt some dangerous positions close to the Cookstown goal.

Doyle was particularly unlucky not to stretch the away side’s lead when his inventive overhead deflection dropped agonisingly over the crossbar.

It was Cookstown who snatched an equaliser in bizarre circumstances though when a lone forward chased down a seemingly lost cause and struck a shot past the unguarded near post of Beattie from tight on the by line after the ball had burrowed to an unlikely halt in the layer of snow.

Anderson was to have the final say on the destination of the three points when he fired another trademark drag flick into the top right of the goal to seal a workmanlike performance and secure a much needed league victory.