Oxford Hawks Men’s 4’s vs Wycombe 2’s – 21.09.24

Chris Maidlow and Guy Biggs scored the goals as the men’s 4’s secured a hard-fought victory over Wycombe 2’s.

In the opening 25 minutes Hawks were in control, maintaining much of the possession and winning three short corners. Nick Lamb – a Hawks mainstay – continued to feed the forward line, whilst Matt Oakes and Danny Johnson – in a more advanced role this season – were on hand in around the ‘D’ to pose a threat to the opposition. The pressure eventually got to Wycombe, as Biggs rounded two Wycombe defenders and squared the ball to Maidlow who duly slotted past the Wycombe goalkeeper from the penalty spot.

Hawks struggled to see out the remaining ten minutes of the first half and were arguably a little complacent with their goal advantage. They would concede a penalty stroke before the half concluded following a rash stick tackle. Fortunately, goalkeeper Jack Sobey was on hand to keep the ball out of the goal and maintain Hawks’ one-goal lead going into the second half.

After hitting the reset button at half-time, Hawks started the second positively and were rewarded with a second goal. From a central position, Oakes threaded the ball neatly through to Biggs, who had time and space at the top right-hand side of the ‘D’ to smash the ball past the oncoming Wycombe goalkeeper, providing Hawks with a more comfortable scoreline going into the remainder of the game.

Nonetheless, Hawks would continue to surrender possession needlessly, which allowed Wycombe to advance on the Hawks ‘D’ and put the phwoars under increasing pressure. Ironically, Wycombe’s goal would come on the counter-attack after 65 minutes, making the final fifteen a rather frought conclusion to the fixture. Still, Hawks were able to demonstrate resilience with stalwarts Bertie Cook and player of the match Tom Harris, able to keep the Wycombe forwards at bay and ensure the 4’s began the season victorious.