City won’t be be taking their struggling neighbours lightly

Hockey - Third team win for the first time in 26 East League matches

City of Peterborough won’t be taking local rivals Spalding lightly even though they will start Saturday’s East Premier A Division fixture at Bretton Gate (2.30pm) as the hottest of favourites.

Spalding are playing in the top flight for the first time in their history and have unsurprisingly found the going tough.

They’ve lost all four of their matches so far and few will expect a reversal of fortune this weekend.

But City manager Graham Finding said: “Although they currently sit bottom of the table, Spalding have found the net in all of their opening four fixtures, and at half time last week were on level terms with (title fancies) Wapping, and by all accounts should have been ahead of the former National League side on the balance of play.

“We will therefore be taking this fixture anything but lightly, as we look to continue our climb up the table.”

City are able to name an unchanged full strength 14man squad for the first time this season: Squad: Cameron Goodey, Joe Finding, Ben Newman, Thom Fowler, Jordan Heald, Ross Booth, Alex Armstrong, Ben Read, Joe Chedd, Ross Ambler, Danny Sisson, Adam Wilson, Manish Patel, Brendan Andrews.

City are unbeaten this sea- son and claimed their second win with a smooth 3-0 success at Ipswich last weekend.

Ben Read, Adam Wilson and Danny Sisson scored the goals as City moved up two places to fifth.

Spalding went down 6-2 to Wapping after holding them to 1-1 at the break. Connor Allen and Shaun Cunnington scored their goals.

City of Peterborough Ladies attempt to transfer their home form to an away fixture in the East Premier Division at Ipswich on Saturday.

City beat Maidstone 5-2 to maintain their perfect record at Bretton Gate and move up to third in the table last weekend. Captain Robyn Gribble grabbed a hat-trick, while Jeorgia Carr and Katy Lee also scored.

Ipswich sit second having won all four matches this season so City will have their work cut out to get a positive result.

The biggest celebrations at Bretton Gate last weekend were enjoyed by the City men’s third team who won an East League game for the first time in 26 attempts.

City were relegated from Division One without winning a game last season and they’d struggled at Division Two North level this season until beating bottom side University of East Anglia 3-2 with goals from Stephen Dunn, Milo Fitzpatrick and Neil Lake.

Two teams with perfect win records in Ladies Division Four North West delivered a thriller as Ed Whybrow scored twice for City of Peterborough fourths in a 4-4 draw with Leadenham.

March men moved top of Division Three North West with a 6-4 win at City of Peterborough fourths. David Hodson claimed a hat-trick.

Captain Robyn Gribble (red) scored a hat-trick for City of Peterborough Ladies against Maidstone.