Nine-Man Richmond Power Past Buckhurst Hill with Blom’s Heroics in Goal

SEMLA Division 3 | Buckhurst Hill | 7 February

Result: Richmond 10 - 1 Buckhurst Hill

Richmond travelled light for their South East Division Three clash with Buckhurst Hill, arriving with just nine players after goalkeeper Barry Macleod-Cullinane was sidelined by a puncture en route. Enter Matt Blom, who stepped into goal at the last minute and promptly delivered a standout performance.

Despite the short bench, Richmond executed their game plan perfectly: get an early lead, then consolidate and save legs.

The opening quarter belonged to Richmond. James “Moose” Morrison struck twice early to set the tone, before Tim Sugrue and Alex Dopson added one apiece to give Richmond a commanding 4–1 lead at quarter time.

Alex’s goal was a beauty - a perfectly timed cut from X, collecting a feed from Moose and shooting smoothly on the turn to finish in stride.

In midfield, Shayne Prior was an absolute machine at the face-off X, combining dominant possessions with tireless box-to-box running to keep momentum firmly with Richmond.

Adam Gatley also put in a huge shift, seamlessly switching between long-stick defence and up-and-down midfield duties as Richmond rotated intelligently to manage legs.

The middle periods saw Richmond continue to control the tempo. Alan Keeley and Moose each found the net in both the second and third quarters, stretching the lead to 8–1 heading into the final frame, as Buckhurst Hill struggled to break through a disciplined Richmond unit.

At the back, stand-in keeper Matt Blom was immense, including one unforgettable moment where he charged out to rush an attacker, knocking the ball free and preserving Richmond’s stranglehold on the game.

Alongside him, Stephen Brown was at his aggressive, dominant best with the long pole, disrupting dodges and eating up ground in defence, even bravely wearing a fierce Buckhurst Hill shot that left a dent, as Richmond continued to shut down attacking lanes.

The final quarter brought more of the same. After a spell of wayward shooting, Rob Arnott finally uncorked a thunderous left-handed rocket that nearly tore the roof off the net - even earning an appreciative “what a shot” from the Buckhurst Hill goalkeeper.

Scoring was rounded out in spectacular fashion as Tim Sugrue drove hard to goal and finished with a superb crease dive, putting a perfect exclamation mark on a composed team performance.

A professional display from start to finish, Richmond managed the game smartly, shared the scoring load, and showed real character with such a small squad.

Goal Scorers

• James Morrison (4)

• Alan Keeley (2)

• Tim Sugrue (2)

• Alex Dopson (1)

• Rob Arnott (1)

Richmond Squad

Matt Blom; Alan Keeley, Stephen Brown; Adam Gatley, Shayne Prior, Tim Sugrue, Alex Dopson; Rob Arnott, James Morrison.