CHELMSFORD Hockey Club's men's first team suffered a 4-1 defeat at Harleston Magpies in East Premier A Division on Saturday.
In recent years Chelmsford have struggled to take points from the Magpies' fortress, but this year they traveled knowing they also boasted the league's most prolific attack and were only one point behind the league leaders in the table.
Add to that the home side currently boasting the league's best defensive record this match was sure to serve up a high calibre contest.
Chelmsford started the stronger of the sides, pinning Harleston in their own half, flashing some drilled crosses across the home team's goal during for the opening exchanges.
As might be expected, the Magpies rode this early pressure, keeping out two penalty corners in the process, and when their chance came with a corner of their own, and seemingly with their first attack, they executed an all too familiar plan to take the lead by lobbing a deflection over the keeper.
Perhaps shell-shocked that the initial dominance had yielded nothing, Chelmsford allowed Harleston to grow into the game and were then quicker to react to a whistle outside the Chelmsford D and pounced on a loose ball with an excellent finish to take a 2-0 lead into half-time.
Nothing to worry about was the message for the green army at the break, only seven days ago their second half performance had secured them the points, so that's what they'd do again.
But in spite of a positive start to the half by the visitors, the Magpies secured their third goal via a deft deflection, yet it didn't feel like the game was beyond the visitors.
An instant response was needed and that's exactly what happened as an Adam Hunter cross was tipped in by a sliding Tom Woolatt which is becoming a common sight this season.
With the score 3-1, Chelmsford seemed to shift up a gear. This, coupled to Harleston's change in mindset from probing attacks to breakouts meant the circle entries mounted on them but the pressure never told.
What finally resulted was the home side filling their boots from another corner to deliver a deflating fourth goal and forcing the green team to leave the field scratching their heads at how they could dominate a game and come away with nothing.
In the battle of defence v attack, defence won and delivered a lesson in how to grind out a result.