For the third time in five years, Cardiff and Met Hockey Club are celebrating reaching the Play-Offs for a place in the England Hockey League (EHL) Premiership after going clear on points at the top of the table in the EHL Conference West Division this weekend.
The side have had a stellar season and only suffered one loss in the lead up to this weekend’s all-important fixtures. After close rivals Fareham lost to Guildford away yesterday, Cardiff & Met’s 1-0 home win over Indian Gymkhana on Saturday was enough for them to become untouchable, regardless of the two matches left to play.
Sealing their third EHL Conference West win yesterday came five years to the day since they won the Davis Wood League, which got them promoted into the EHL Conference West in 2011. Head Coach Walid Abdo described the atmosphere among the squad as ‘thrilled but focussed’ as they look ahead to next month:
“To be eight points clear with two games still to play is an incredible achievement by these men. Their performance has been outstanding and they’ve shown steely resilience throughout. Now we switch our focus to the play-offs, they truly deserve to be there and we will give it everything in the pursuit of promotion.”
Cardiff & Met will face other Conference League winners at two play-off tournaments in April, one in Nottingham on Sunday 3rd and the other at Queens Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on the weekend of the 16th.
They will be fighting it out for a place in the Premiership, the UK’s chief hockey league, which featuring just the top eight teams from across England and Wales, many of which are professional clubs.
Before that however Cardiff & Met, who play out of the National Hockey Centre at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, come up against Isca at home and Fareham away in their final two league fixtures.
For more information on Cardiff & Met Hockey Club, visit their website or follow them on Twitter.
