By Tom Pink
It’s the same problems for Haringey, the same old story; turn up at the Spectrum, play well, lose. You could go back over most of the old reports against Guildford and they probably wouldn’t be very different from this.
They’re a very good team and they’ve won most of what there is to win in South 2 over the last few years for a reason but every time I see us play them, I never come away thinking there’s this huge gulf between the teams. Certainly not a gulf that gives us the record we have against them anyway. And that’s what makes it all the more frustrating.
We have the ability to create some golden opportunities in front of net, but it’s that last 5-10% of the play, that bit of calmness and quality that we’re lacking in the key moments, against the top sides in particular, that’s holding us back.
We play really well for the first period. We craft chances galore. Joe Willingham has a backhander saved from close, Conner Smith rips one from the D which is blocked, and Ryan Payne has a couple of looks from the point then tries going 5-hole at the hashmarks but Guildford netminder Jacob Stoodley shuts the door.
Chances come thick and fast. Benet Beldecos shoots from the high slot, ricocheting off the shoulder of the Phoenix netminder; could have gone anywhere. Guildford hit iron from the crease, looked like a redirect from the left which skimmed the base of the far post.
Matt Hepburn sends a shot wide form the left wing, Conner plays in Robert Rejna whose falling shot lacks power, and Stephen Woodford hits the goalie’s shoulder after a great cross-ice play.
With all that going on, Haringey are seriously unlucky to go in 1-0 down at the end of the first period. The Guildford goal is a total freak. It’s a shot from the point that cannons off the plexi-glass behind net and falls perfectly at the backdoor, where Phoenix forward Theo Sire is in the right place at the right time to tap neatly into the empty net. Just one of those you have to take on the chin.
It’s compounded at the start of the second as bad gets worse though, and Guildford come out fast. Thirty seconds in, it’s carried down the left wing, Jacob Rondeau-Smith holding off all Haringey advances, and it’s put across the slot for Scott Bailey to slam home at the back post.
It’s a strange feeling watching the game, because we’re playing well but are somehow 2-0 down. It almost shouldn’t be possible, but we’ve seen this film before. Stuart Appleby can’t fashion a shot with the Guildford goalie in all sorts of trouble. Jaden Boolkah pops up and has a look from the point, with a Marton Szasz tip in front of net that finds the netminder’s pad.
I thought we’d been too ponderous on the power play of late, with not enough urgency, but it was patient play that bagged us both goals on Sunday and shut me up pretty quickly. They were using Joe Willingham as a forward with Conner Smith slotting into to the D pairing for some of the power plays, and it was Joe that got the first goal.
It’s ever so patient from Haringey, occupying the offensive zone with the extra skater on the ice. It’s worked to the right-hand side and it’s Benet that finds Joe at the crease, and his swipe as he tumbles under pressure finds the back of the net. An instinctive finish far side to get Haringey a foothold in the game.
Guildford push back, and Haringey have to suffer for moments. Benet has a couple of chances from close that go begging. But four minutes after their first goal, the Huskies draw level. It’s Jaden again from the point, and this time Marton’s tip finds twine and it’s a 2-2 game.
It’s so close at this point, and you’re thinking that Haringey can go on and win this with the way they’re playing and the amount of chances they’re creating. Stu has a goal washed at the end of the period, for what I’m not sure, but there’s more opportunities to take the lead as the second period goes on that pass us by.
Guildford have had this amazing knack recently of saving games from bad positions or growing into games and finishing strongly. It proved that way on Sunday unfortunately. It’s a power play goal that sees Theo Sire bag his second of the night. The Phoenix work the puck around the Huskies’ net a few times, until Sire takes control and heads to the back door where he jams the puck between post and outstretched skate.
At 3-2 Guildford take far more control of the game leaving Haringey with a lot of firefighting to do, but also still trying to push for parity.
Pete Toth does well 1-on-1 to deny the shot with his back to goal. Benet goes to ice to block a shot from the blue line. Haringey increasingly find it difficult to get out of the zone. Guildford are applying all sorts of pressure. Matt Hepburn has a fantastic chance against the netminder on the breakaway but has his shot from the left saved.
The final nail in the coffin is Guildford’s fourth. With five minutes left in the game, and Haringey pushing for an equalizer, Theo Sire heads to net on the breakaway and scores high from the crease for a shorthanded goal and his hat trick. Done and dusted.
Joe Willingham gets Player of the Match. I think we’re lucky to have a player that is so comfortable going either way, and who loves to come up with a goal too. A great shift from Joe.
It’s looking almost certainly like Guildford in the Wilkinson Cup semi-finals for us, so there’ll be another crack at the Spectrum this year at least. We only have eight league games left this season (where has the time gone?!), and the Wilkinson Cup represents one of the diminishing opportunities for silverware this year for Haringey.
Peterborough return this Saturday. It’s felt like we’re constantly playing either them or Lee Valley this year. They’re another side we’ve struggled to score well against and we’ve gone down 5-1 to them on both occasions so far in 2024/25. I don’t know what the solution is, I don’t have the answers, but I’m hoping that as long as we continue to create, we’ll eventually score the goals; without the opportunity we definitely won’t.
See you on Saturday.
