Head coach Danny Kerry believes England still have another level to go to reach their best despite opening up the Hockey World League Semi-Finals with a comfortable victory over Poland.
Sophie Bray scored twice in the opening quarter in the 3-0 win in Johannesburg, though it wasn’t until the final quarter when the win was finally sealed.
That final goal came through captain Alex Danson, as the world’s second best team added gloss to their Pool A opener – the ideal start in their bid for the Hockey World League Finals.
A third-place finish or better for Kerry’s side will be enough to reach the showcase finale in New Zealand in November, though the head coach admits there is still more to be done if they are to hit their potential.
“It was an awkward game, Poland were deep and we had to sit and be patient, we probably should have won by more but we were comfortable,” he said.
“I’ll take 3-0, there were probably a few spells where we were cheap in possession but we controlled the game and that was the main thing.
“Leading early creates an expectation that you’re going to run away with the game, and that’s where we lost our way a little bit.
“We were trying a lot of first-time passes as opposed to taking a touch and going for the easy pass, that led to some missed opportunities and we spoke about that at half-time.
“But we’re in the tournament and up and running, we’ve been in South Africa for a long time so it’s good to get going.
“There is lots we can work on, but now we’re in tournament mode so it’s about being ready for the next game.”
It took barely three minutes for England to open the scoring in South Africa, as Bray pinched the pocket of the Poland defender before powering past the keeper.
The game saw Nicola White celebrate her 100th in the England shirt, but the spotlight once again shone on Bray, creating space with her back to goal to fire in the corner after faking a shot.
Poland sat deep as the game progressed and never looked like threatening the goal, hitting just one shot in the entire first half.
Kerry’s charges were unable to put the game away despite maintaining on the front foot, as the game headed into the final quarter.
But a moment of magic was to wrap up the encounter, as captain Danson added the finishing touches to end a wonderful team move – the ideal way to prepare for their second match of the tournament, against Japan on Wednesday.
“It’s the first game of the tournament, we had a game-plan and we took the tactics quite well by taking the game to them and making them play hockey,” said Susannah Townsend.
“I think we’ll look at it and be very happy at that performance.
“2-0 in the first quarter is ideal, you get your goals and we still wanted to keep on playing and not take our foot off the gas, we played well for the last three-quarters which was very positive.
“I love South Africa, I’ve been here quite a few times before and the support is always fantastic, the setup with the FIH and World Hockey is always great and it’s a great competition to be a part of.”
Sportsbeat 2017