Report: 1st XI Men vs Wisbech Town 1s – February 14, 2026
Wisbech 1s 1 – 3 Spalding 1s
Wisbech Town hosted Spalding Men’s first team for what proved to be a fiercely contested encounter. With the team’s previous engagement having been a gritty affair, Spalding were fully aware this would be no easy fixture.
Wisbech started brightly and caught Spalding off guard. Within the opening minutes, the press was broken and, after some intricate passing hockey, the ball found the back of the net to give the home side an early lead.
Spalding struggled initially to impose themselves. Although chances were created, they were unable to convert. The game soon became end to end, with both sides battling for control. When a Wisbech player was shown a green card, Spalding seized the opportunity to push forward and capitalised during the spell of advantage.
In the 32nd minute, smart play from Ethan Pearson saw a precise ball fired into the D, where Dan Azzopardi produced a vicious deflection past the goalkeeper, leaving no chance of a save. Shortly after, Jacob Baker was shown a green card for dissent, forcing Spalding to see out the remainder of the half with ten men under mounting Wisbech pressure.
At half-time, captain Sam Howitt delivered stern but composed words. The message was clear: step up, play our hockey, and win the game.
The second half resumed in similar fashion, with chances at both ends. Tensions rose in the 42nd minute when Jacob Baker, frustrated by a contentious decision, received a yellow card, reducing Spalding to ten men once again. Amid a barrage of Wisbech attacks, goalkeeper Oscar Haunch produced an assured display behind an obdurate Spalding defensive unit that refused to yield.
Restored to eleven, Spalding regained momentum. Intricate play from Ethan Pearson once more unlocked the defence, finding Will Wright for a smart deflection to put the visitors 2–1 ahead.
With the lead secured, Spalding were determined to press home their advantage. Quick build-up play from the back earned a short corner, which was expertly worked to the top of the D and struck goalwards. Although the goalkeeper made the initial save, James Grant reacted quickest to slot home the rebound.
Wisbech pushed hard in search of a response, but Spalding’s un-wielding mentality ensured there would be no way back. The game finished 3–1, with Spalding remaining top of the league and unbeaten in 17 games.