But, coach Thornton McDade had higher aspirations so to finish the season in second place, one place higher than last season, was an achievement that the whole team could celebrate.
“Unlike Wanderers and UJ, we did not drop points against the teams below us,” said McDade. “It was really just one bad match against Wanderers towards the end of the season that let us down.”
Overall, McDade said he was more than happy with the team’s performance, both from an individual and collective aspect.
“New players, like Scott Bateman, Nic Rowe and Luke Sanon, settled in well both on and off the field. We are not a team of stars, but enjoy our hockey with emphasis on both on and off the field enjoyment,” he added.
The hockey coach felt that the strikers could have done better as a center back, Andy Roberts ended up as the leading goal scorer.
“The team was built on a solid defence with goalkeeper Marc de Jager as a rock. He won the man of the match award more than any other player,” said McDade.
Looking ahead to next season McDade said the team would change as some players have retried, but he was confident of attracting quality players to the club.
“It is great to have the source of the King Edward schoolboys, with five or six boys already having played for the second team. But we need to attract back to the club those old boys of the school who have now finished their university education, and still want to play at the top level.
“Last season we had six or seven former captains of the school first team playing for us. We need to bring back that sort of player to the club,” he added.
“We will continue to focus on being competitive, but must not lose the balance of the off-field aspect of the game in true Old Eds spirit.”
With the commitment of people such as McDade at the helm, the future for the club looks bright. If the team continues its upward trend of moving up the league, next season could see them crowned champions.
