Mark Pearn insists East Grinstead can put another near miss behind them and become a dominant force in English hockey for years to come.  Grinstead lost in the EH Cup final for the second year in succession as they went down 1-0 to Cannock at Reading yesterday.

It was a cruel end to a campaign where Grinstead have continued to make huge strides forward by breaking into the top four of the domestic game.

 

However, player-coach Pearn believes they are on the verge of something special.

Pearn, who represented Great Britain at two Olympics, said: "Everyone is disappointed but this is still the beginning of something. Our ambitions aren't to win the cup, they are to get into Europe and take this club forward.  "We have showed this year we are capable of beating the best sides in the country and next year we are looking to go forward again.

 

"If you are a supporter of East Grinstead Hockey Club at the moment there is some fantastic young talent with the likes Ashley Jackson, Darren Cheesman and Glenn Kirkham. These players can potentially be at the club for five or ten years and that is very exciting."

 

Grinstead's defeat continued a succession of near misses over the last 12 months:

• They lost in the national cup final to Reading last year.

• They finished runners-up at the national indoor finals night.

• They also came second in their group at the European Indoor Championships.

• They finished fourth in the national league outdoors, missing out on a place in the new Champions League-style Euro Hockey League by one position.

Those near misses, though, should be put into context. They won the domestic indoor league, which preceded finals night, they earned promotion for England via runners-up spot in Europe and fourth place in the national league outdoors meant they had achieved their goal for the season.

 

A cup was always going to be a bonus but Grinstead knew they had a genuine chance of beating a Cannock side that had appeared in four of the last six finals.  The first half did nothing to crush that belief. Grinstead, who beat Bowdon 3-2 on Saturday to reach the final, may have been underdogs but they bossed the first half without creating too many chances.

 

Ben Payne fired wide after a great move down the right involving Jackson and Cheesman.

Jackson was later denied by the outstretched left foot of Cannock keeper James Fair but by that stage Grinstead were behind. The goal came against the run of play on 23 minutes as Andrew Langlands deflected home Chris Mayer's free-hit from inside the 25.

 

The second half was disappointing and frustrating for East Grinstead and their travelling supporters. Cannock, once ahead, were prepared to soak up pressure which they did well, limiting Grinstead to odd chances and just one short corner in the entire game.

That was something free-scoring Grinstead were not used to and a succession of umpiring decisions going against them did not help their mood.

 

Pearn said: "We knew Cannock would be good on the break. We knew they would sit deep and we wouldnt have many chances.  We defended well and restricted them to very few chances. Unfortunately they took one while we missed our four or five opportunities." 

The Argus - by Howard Griggs - Monday 2nd April 2007