JERSEY will aim to put a comprehensive “70-minute performance together” when they face Ashford (Middlesex) in the second round of England Hockey’s Tier 2 Championships tomorrow.
Those were the words of player-coach Tom Sibley, who took over the reins ahead of their resounding 4-1 home victory over Cambridge 1 in October.
A first-half flurry courtesy of a Sam Habin brace and singles from Tom Millar and Sam Dunstan blew Cambridge away, but the second-half saw a “less focused” display from the Caesareans.
Sibley said: “We definitely took a lot of positives out of our first-round match against Cambridge.
“The opening half was especially pleasing, but we seemed to relax a touch and became less focused in the second period.
“It is key that we go to Ashford and put a full 70-minute performance together.”
Jersey have named a strong squad for their trip to the UK, which featuresall the goal scorers from their round-one tie.
Bobby Minty and Anthony Kay are both unavailable, but Tom Bolton returns to the fold to add strength to the midfield.
Island hockey was not sheltered from Storm Ciarán, it was one of many Island sports disrupted by damage.
Jersey’s pitch at Les Quennevais was out of action for repairs, which left preparations for the Ashford fixture “slightly disjointed”.
“Like most sports here, the storm really made training and practising difficult,” added the player-coach.
“Our pitch was unavailable in the build-up to Christmas, so the first-team weren’t able to get together as frequently as we would have liked.
“But the recently held inaugural Men’s Inter-Parish Cup was a massive boost in giving our players some competitive game time.
“We might not have all been playing together, but it certainly helped in bringing back that match fitness.”
Sibley confessed that, even after his time with Wapping HC, and having been around National League hockey for a decade, Ashford remain somewhat of an unknown entity.
However, the Islander has tapped into his vast hockey network to gain what might be vital information on the Middlesex outfit.
He added: “I have managed to get some video footage from a game they played against my old club from the current coaching staff. So there is a little bit of background there.
“We have been told they are a very hard-working unit with no real stand-out individuals, but we expect them to be strong as a collective unit.
“It sounds very cliché, but we need to focus on ourselves and match the energy they will bring.
“If we work to our strengths, we firmly believe we can get through to the third round.”
The only other round two fixture slated for tomorrow is Reading 2’s visit to Woking.
Jersey’s match is set to get under way at 1.30pm.
Jersey squad to face Ashford (Middlesex): Piers Brandie (GK), Joel Dudley, Jack Stevens, Tom Sibley, Pete Millar, Jamie Watling, Matt Boote, Sam Watling, Tom Bolton, Tom Millar (c), Sam Dunstan, Sam Habin, Jack Tait, Jamie Bolton.
