The hockey game, away day—the big one! It started early on a calm Saturday morning, quite the opposite of how the Folkestone Optimistboys were feeling. A big game meant a big challenge ahead.

The lads showed up early with DJ Sutts’speaker blaring away; let’s just say the home team knew we were there and meant business. With a strong squad of 16, ex-skipper Andy Walls came along to help with rotations, and the "boys in blue" were eager for push-back.

The game started at an intense pace, with Folkestone trying to pin Holcombe in their own half. After winning a couple of early short corners, Folkestone were excited to see Wishy flick the ball toward the "top bins," but unfortunately, the Holcombe keeper kept them out. It wasn’t long before Holcombe had a chance of their own and, before we knew it, the Ops were 1-0 down.

Folkestone’s first goal came from a penalty corner, although this time a different defender had a go. A straight strike from Spaf into the bottom corner made it 1-1. The temperature was rising and the chase for victory was on.

The game got a little scrappy, and the umpires paused briefly to handle the situation. However, it didn't seem to do much; there were plenty of complaints and calls throughout the game. I think they left their cards at home, because none were seen!

The second half kicked off with the same game plan: press well and keep the opposition outside the Folkestone D. Our second goal came from another short corner. This time, Wishymanaged to keep the ball under control after a chaotic routine; with a nice little reverse scoop, the ball bounced into the bottom left corner—Ker-ching, 2-1!

Then it was "keep calm and don't mess this up" mode. This was nearly ruined after the opposition scored a goal that caused the Holcombe skipper to react as if his favourite boy band had just entered the stage. Thankfully, the goal was overturned because the first attempt was a miss-hit (using the back of the stick).

As the closing minutes crept closer, the boys in blue kept the ball well, taking it into the corners much to Holcombe’s dislike. In the last five minutes, Captain PK scored a screamer from the baseline, right off the keeper and into the net. 3-1, thank you very much! The relief was so great that PK had to sub himself off immediately to calm down.

The final whistle blew and the Folkestone cheers began. The smiles didn’t stop—even after the home team left well before the Ops did!