LONDON, UK – It has been an eventful season so far for Streatham IHC to say the least. The club changed their name gaining worldwide media exposure, appeared on National television giving a weather forecast and made numerous roster changes including a change to their coach, all since September.
Ready for some Magic? (Rick Webb)
Even for Captain Joe Johnston, a player who has spent most of his life at the club and seen almost everything that can happen in hockey, it has been a strange few months.
‘Weird. Strange. Crazy. Peculiar. Bizarre. Odd. Any of those words will work to describe this season so far’ explains the veteran Londoner.
‘It wasn’t that long ago we started off with Chinny (Nick Chinn) in charge and the hope of a new dawn for the club. Fast forward a few months and you couldn’t make up the upheaval we’ve gone through.’
‘There’s been so many comings and goings it’s been hard to keep track. The shirt makers have had a field day with us this season. We had a six week break over the Christmas period so it’s been a very unusual season and it’s been a bit stop start. Finally I think we’re starting to settle but we’ve been through the mill really.’
As Captain, one of Johnston’s unenviable tasks has been to try and hold the squad together and keep morale up. A poor start to the season didn’t help matters and then the demise of Wightlink Raiders saw almost a line of new players added to the squad, plus of course a new coach in the form of former Elite League enforcer Jeremy Cornish.
‘I’d say the toughest challenges were all the new guys coming in and that transition’ admits Johnston.
First session under the new coach
‘The first night of training when Cornish took over was weird for all of us. Guys meeting each other for the first time on a Thursday knowing we all had to play a game together Saturday. People not knowing each other’s names, released players arriving to pick their kit up, was all very awkward. It was all going on.’
‘Like I say, that was a challenge and could probably explain some of our results and inconsistency but I think we’re much more settled now. Cornish and the coaching team know what they’re doing and know where they want to take the team and that will take a bit of time of course but there’s a plan and a vision in place.’
‘The dressing room was tricky with so many new boys coming in but Cornish and I saw to it that it was a good environment and got everyone mixing immediately.’
The unusual six week winter break had a positive impact on the home attendance last weekend with a near full house turning out to watch the fixture against Oxford City Stars. It was Streatham’s biggest gate of the season so far, and Johnston admits it may not have led to a good performance that night but seeing the stands full gives everyone a boost.
‘It was fantastic, it really was. A huge crowd on a Saturday night which is a difficult trick to pull off in London with so much else going on in the city’ he explains.
‘I’d like to say it made a huge difference but we got hammered 7-0. Usually it does make a difference though but I guess we just had an off night. Six weeks off over the festive period probably helped bump the crowd as everyone was starved of hockey for so long and some great work behind the scenes with advertising and marketing the match was a key factor.’
‘It showed what’s achievable at this level. We have a loyal band of noisy supporters anyway but it does make a difference when we get a huge crowd like that. The place was packed and displayed the potential there is at the club. If we can work on consistency we can hopefully start getting crowds of that size on a regular basis.’
Long time Streatham boy Joe Johnston
The game against Oxford saw Johnston switched to defense duties by Coach Cornish to boost a depleted blue line. It isn’t the first time Johnston has been asked to play in defense but as one of the clubs top all-time scorers it’s not somewhere fans are used to seeing him.
‘You know what, I quite like it. It’s totally unnatural to me but we were a few guys short so Corny asked if I would do it and if it helps the team out then of course I will’ concedes the 36 year old former GB junior international.
‘I played a bit of defense a few years back under Warren (Rost) under similar circumstances so clearly coaches see something in me playing back there. I did OK to be honest, well, as OK as you can in a 7-0 loss at home in front of your biggest crowd of the season… but I was only on for 1 goal so I’ll take some confidence from that.’
‘I thought I was fairly smart and solid if not spectacular. The coaching staff obviously thought I did well as I started on defense on Sunday in the win at Invicta but after some penalties we were light up front so I got reshuffled back up to the wing.’
‘I don’t mind really and it’s nice to be able to slot in where needed. I suppose defense plays to my strengths. At my age I can’t get up and down the ice or go round people as much as I used to so arguably the best attributes I still have are my passing, composure and hockey brain. Playing as a defenseman is a lot less skating I know that much.’
With the season rapidly heading towards its conclusion Streatham currently sit in 4th position in the league, 14 points behind leaders Chelmsford but in a Cup semi-final in February and of course the Play-Offs in March.
‘I think the league is gone now, I’m not sure mathematically but we’re a long way behind so realistically it’s highly unlikely’ says Johnston, who made his debut for the team as a fresh faced teenager in the early 1990’s.
‘We’ve dropped points in key games and what with all the turbulence this year there’s been some dodgy results along the way. In terms of play-offs and cup I think it’s that word consistency again. We have the tools to win it all, we really do.’
Chelmsford the target (Rick Webb)
‘It’s focus and consistency that we need to concentrate on. Chelmsford will start as favourites for everything, don’t they always… but come play-off and cup semi-final/final time we should be in the mix for sure.’
‘We’ve shown we can compete with any team in the league and it’s so tight between the top 5 or 6 teams that anyone can win on their day which makes it unpredictable as much as it does exciting.’
‘It will be tough whatever the match ups are but I’m sure there aren’t any teams that would fancy playing against us, so the cup and the play-offs offers a clean slate for everyone and it will be fascinating viewing, that I can guarantee you.’
Streatham face Bracknell Hornets in back to back games this weekend with the first game in Berkshire on Saturday, followed by the return in South London on Sunday.
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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