England fightback leaves Irish cursing their luck

By Sportsbeat staff

ENGLAND staged a second half fightback to swat aside the challenge of Ireland at the women's European Hockey Championships in Monchengladbach.

INFLUENCE: Helen Richardson was the difference, according to coach Danny Kerry, as England came from behind to beat Ireland 3-1 (Peter Savage/hockeyimages)

Niamh Small gave the Irish a 33rd minute advantage but England came out rejuvenated in the second half with three goals coming from Hannah Macleod, Helen Richardson and Anne Panter.

However, coach Danny Kerry - just as he was after their 4-0 win over Belgium - remained far from content with performance.

He had been hoping to progress to the semi-finals - where they will face either Spain or the Netherlands - with maximum points and zero goals conceded, an ambition foiled by Small's first half strike.

"I am disappointed that we did not execute the penalty corners in the first ten minutes and it was clear at half-time that we had some changes to make," said Kerry, who is aiming to upgrade last year's bronze medal at the World Cup and Commonwealth Games.

"But we did not panic and going into the second half we were able to turn the game around. Helen Richardson was fantastic and her decision making helped us significantly.

"After playing so well against Germany we must learn to perform better against the lower ranked sides because often those are the matches that make the difference."

Meanwhile, English men’s team forward Mark Pearn will miss the remainder of championship after picking up a knee injury during the 4-2 win over Ireland.

"We’ll miss Mark’s creativity on the pitch and his positive influence around the group.  We know disappointed he is and wish him all the best for his recovery,” said coach Jason Lee.

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