After going through the Covid-19 clearance at the front gate it was a return to the scene of our successful opening game at the BernaBowen.  Quality squad to choose from on the day and we went with an attacking 4-3-3 formation knowing that we had the legs and the pace all across the midfield and forward line to - potentially - dominate the play.   We did start quickly and were moving the ball around very effectively with Patrick and Roger giving us good structure in the middle of the park and Dash, Gary and Julio providing great options across the top.  It was through two of those players that we managed to take the lead.  The ball was played into Dash who did superbly well to shield it, hold off the defender and then play an inviting ball into the path of the onrushing Patrick.  He timed his run perfectly and accelerated at exactly the right moment before finishing beyond the keeper and then reeling off in celebration.  Lovely bit of link up play and a deserved lead.  We continued in the same vein through the half but much as we keep preaching about the need to stay focused and 'alive' to the threat of the through ball, we managed to concede close to half time.  With similarities to the Gaelic goal from the previous week it was a simple ball that we should have defended much better but unfortunately it caught us off guard and despite all the good work we were even pegging. Albeit early in the season the opening two games have shown a streak of resilience in coming back from these body blows and we were able to do that just before going in for the half.  Gary seemed to doing some sort of bunny hop on the edge of the box and kept control of a ball that he had no right to hold on to.  Somehow he managed to get it to Billie.  Not sure how he turned and swivelled along with finding both power and accuracy but he did and the ball flew into the keeper's top left hand corner.  Unstoppable and a great picture goal to take us into half time with the lead restored. It certainly made the half time team talk a lot more positive.  The key message was in not letting ANZA get an equaliser and focus on turning our possession and chances into more of an advantage. We did exactly that almost from kick off when we started to get the ball through to the forwards with greater pace.  Dash somehow managed to get DOWN to a ball and scored a diving header from about 2 feet off the ground.  Not sure if it was a Roger or Purch pass that put the ball through.  Next up was an opportunity from a free kick put in by Yours Truly on to Dash's head.  Rather than go for goal he set the ball up superbly well for Julio and despite having had a quiet first half he latched on to it to make it 4-1.  Coasting at this stage and perhaps because of that we seemed to drop the tempo down a bit. ANZA got a goal back when they rattled in a free kick that Andrew did exceptionally well to push to the side.  The marking from the rebound wasn't good enough and the opposition was able to finish well to make it 4-2.  Despite further chances for Hibs, ANZA rounded off the scoring.  A free kick as a result of a necessary foul gave the opportunity for the forward to blast a shot into Andrew's left hand corner.  Again not much that Andrew could do in the end. Hibs managed out the rest of the game although with the amount of possession and opportunities earlier in the game it shouldn't have been as tight as it was.  We know ANZA don't pack up and go home regardless of the score but better game management from Hibs would have made this less of a sweaty-palms finish. Some very solid performances through the team - Patrick and Roger in the centre gave us a good platform, boys out wide did very well, Gary up front provided superb link up play but MoM to Dash for being involved in everything that went on. Thanks to ANZA and see you sometime this year - hopefully!

Fair result on balance, but also unlucky to have not grabbed a point as the game concluded after a strong 4th quarter. After being 1-1  thanks to a Laszlo breakaway after a great ball by Marcus, we paid the price for conceding the 2nd just before half time and the  3rd and 4th in quick succession after the break. Credit to keeper Tom at this point who made a number of great saves that kept the scoreline in check and gave us the chance for the late rally.   A great freekick from Brenton and a goal from Adam brought us close, but we were unable to grab the equaliser before time ran out.   Thanks to Hibs for the game and best of luck for the season.