This is the first men’s game played at Varsity since 2008, the only previous result is that Keele won that fixture both teams play in different leagues so rarely meet, so this Varsity 2010 game was a one off, a sporting fixture not to be missed that was watched by many
All that could be heard was “GO STAFFS!” Then the whistle blew which quickly resulted in Keele winning the first possession of the game after the draw, all that could be heard was the clash of the helmets and the metal sticks checking each other as each team was either on the offensive or defending and fight for the ball.
During the first quarter both teams had numerous attempts to put the ball at the back of the net, but at these times the potential points were put to waste by the attackers who wanted glory of scoring the first goal of the match. After instructions were shouted from both sides, the key advice from Staffordshire's number five Dimitri Chambers could be heard “Don’t put it to waste!” really hit home as he took control of the Staffs attacking players, an opportunity opened up for staffs which Staffs number twenty-one James Anderson took advantage off by running and passing straight to number-two Jack Tew who had made space in Keele’s half and in the 9th minute of the game put Staffs 1-0 up.
Further breaks led by Chambers were put to no avail after all the hard and grit of determination of their efforts were starting to show and Keele saw this and took advantage by first of all dishing out a hard body check on Chambers which resulted in having to be helped off the pitch which shook up the staffs players, this resulted in number fourteen Paul Chandler being bought on making his Varsity debut. Following the incident Keele were constantly on the attack as Staffs made some almost costly errors which almost led Keele to level up at the end of the quarter.
Chambers was bought back on to the pitch after the first break after which Keele went straight back onto the offensive with Staffs always trying to push back out but the Keele team were having none of it and kept beating and pushing them back into their own half till Keele's number eighty-eighty Charlie Nurse scored due to formation collapse in defensive but Staffs vice-captain Nick Thursby coming back from a season of injury, fought back with the ball flying out of his stick into the top left of Keeles goal stunning their keeper and idle defence.
After various fouls and a sin bin offence by a Keele player Staffs were a man up and straight away Keele went into zonal defence, with Staffs playing the ball round goal to make space they kept pushing in and repeatedly kept being pushed out till a shot on goal was put out to the back restrainer line with Keele winning position. After a pass from the restrainer to Keele number ten Oli Quick who ran and broke into the Staffs half and through the defence Keele was level again at 2-2 at the break.
After the half time break both teams were back on field refreshed and ready to fight for the game, the scores were level and each player knew that every move and play they did counted. The draw was taken that was won by Keele once again taking it forward into the Staffs half which they drove out but in the 46th and 47th minute goals by Keele's number twenty-two Max van Praag and eleven Alex Curley left Staffs trailing behind 4-2 in utter disbelief, these events resulted in Thursby shouting for a time out to reconcile and to try and focus Staffs players. Distinct voices of Chambers and Thursby could be heard shouting above the Staffs players distinct instructions. Following the brief pause in play Anderson a key team player was pushed hard down onto the floor and had to go off the pitch. After the restart the ball was left free on the floor with both teams fighting for the ball but not able to pick it up with their sticks. With most players focused on using their sticks Thursby used ingenuity by simpley kicking the ball into the back of Keele’s net in the 56th minute bringing the score back to 3-4. After the ball was restarted at the centre point Staffs won possession and Tew scored as Keele's lack of defence who were still too far forward left just him and the goalie letting the scores level up at 4-4.
The final quarter and it was all to play for, with the teams switching both ends, the scores were level. Staffs started off dishing out some hard and quick checks which resulted in a further sin bin offence. Staffs were determined to take the fight to Keele and not the other way around, this led to Staffs being a man down and a mistake by Staffs goalkeeper Simon Hart going to retrieve the ball was met with heavy resistance by Keele let their number twelve Thomas Kelly score with an open goal making it 5-4 to Keele in the 67th minute. For the next ten minutes the game consisted of clean hard checks and plays that had been rehearsed countless times in pre-match training till Anderson received a hard check that seemed to motivate to score his first and only goal in the 77th minute.
After this goal in quick response Keele's number seven Shez Khan ran down the left side and scored putting Staffs behind 6-5 in the 79th minute. After the ball was back in play Tew made a fast break due to another sin-bin offence by Keele which left them falling back into zonal formation. Tew broke though the Keele players and scored levelling the score 6-6 with twenty seconds left of normal playing time on the time keepers clock till the 5 minutes of overtime started.
Both teams were once again in the same position as they were at the start of the half with all to play, the crowd that had gradually grown in numbers as well as loudness were doing their bit to put off the opposing team. But at the end of the day it was down to the two teams on the pitch that day. Both teams somehow got new freshness and determination in themselves. The ball was fiercely fought over in the air and on the ground and with the time running out with seconds to go before the final whistle Keele had position in the Staffs half and called a time out. The crowd was jumping up and down and when the final whistle for play to commence you could barely hear it due to the screams and shouts of the crowd. A quick play baited the Staffs defence out and by the time the Staffs mid fielders had ran back to help out their team mates it was too late as Keele's number twenty-three Edward Hincks had the ball in his net and was cradling it through the remainder of Staffs defence till the goal was in his sight and finally shot resulting in the ball landing in the back of Staffs net with nine seconds left on the clock, 7-6 to Keele. With the final restart commenced Staffs pushed forward but only made it to the edge of their fan before the final whistle which in Keele winning by a single goal and claiming a crucial Varsity point.