After five defeats Southgate finally got off the mark with a win against Bowdon at Trent Park, reports Alastair Whatley

Southgate’s Dan West sees his shot blocked against Bowdon (credit Simon Parker/SP Action Images)

Southgate’s men got their season rolling with a nail-biting victory over Bowdon at Trent Park.

The last time the teams had played each other was a relegation play off game in 2013 which saw Southgate just hold on at the death. A decade later, history seemed to be repeating itself as Southgate coach Huw Stevens recorded the first win of his tenure after a winless start to the season with five losses in succession.

The pressure was certainly on as recently-promoted Bowdon travelled down to North London, also battling for their first points of the season. Coach Simon Egerton’s side had shipped 26 goals in their first five games despite the presence of GB under-18s keeper William Grant in goal.

Southgate started the stronger of the sides with a dominant first quarter. Dan West and Sean Davis both missed chances with Grant called into action in the opening salvos. Yet it was West who, in the fifth minute of play on receiving a ball in top D from Jack Middleton drove out right and wide before carving his way through the Bowdon defence and slotting the ball home to give the home side the first goal.

Just two minutes later a high aerial into the D saw umpire Nku Davis award a penalty flick as Southagte keeper Allan Dick was judged to have impeded on Bowdon’s Carlos Dolado-Hollyman. In a moment of high drama, stand-in keeper Dick put in a diving save to his right to keep Richie Dawso Smith’s shot at bay and Southgate maintained their slender advantage.

Bowdon came back into the game in the second quarter as Dolado Hollyman converted a defected shot from the middle of the D in the 30th minutes to equalise the score going into half-time.

The gloves really came off in the third quarter as attacking midfielder Archie Foster due to injury playing higher up the field put in an increasingly strong performance and in the 43rd minute collared a reverse tomahawk shot past Grant on a tight angle to give the home side the advantage once again.

On the stroke of the whistle to end the third quarter, Foster stepped again top D to flick from a penalty corner repeating the same shot from the previous days against Hampstead splitting keeper and postman to give Southgate a clear two goal advantage going into the final quarter of play.

Yet, the home side looked like they had all but capitulated in the opening minutes as goals from Dolado-Hollyman in the 55th minute and then Wyndham-Smith just three minutes later exposed the Southgate defence and levelled the game with Bowdon looking to ride the momentum for a famous win.

The atmosphere on the sidelines had reached a fever pitch but with Allan Dick denying repeated Bowdon penalty corners at the other end it was the hero of the hour who sealed the game in the 63rd minute with a swiftly taken free hit which he took into the D from the top D and again on his reverse beat Grant to find the winning goal to the delight of the home supporters.

A much needed three points for Southgate will give them confidence and, if they can find their finishing touch in front of goal, they should be increasingly well rewarded as the season continues.

Final score: Southgate 4 Bowdon 3

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