Having lost the reverse fixture right in heart breaking fashion at the beginning of the season, the Ops were determined to put on a good performance and earn a measure of redemption in this re-arranged fixture. The game started brightly, with the ball moving around the pitch well. Daniel Andrews, Dave Whitehead and Dave Brazier were calm in possession at the back, with Oisin Doyle in goal not having much to deal with. Across the middle, Joe Allon, Steve Letley and Oakley Nicholls were moving well, using the ball down the flanks effectively to the forward line of Finn Letley, Joel Davison and Oscar Daley, with Paul Andrews beginning to find his way into the game in the middle. It soon became very clear that this New Beccs team were considerably stronger than when the Ops played them at home, but the Ops stood firm in the face of some high quality, and high pace, attacking, with the back 5 all making vital interventions. Ops had the best of the attacking play though, and began to earn penalty corners with regularity. It was at this point that it became obvious that the opposition keeper was different class, making several impressive stops. Eventually though the pressure told, and a clever switch routine saw Letley jr receive the ball in a tight space. He calmly drew the keeper, before side-stepping around him and flicking into the net to give the Ops a deserved lead. More chance came and went, with the keeper again coming to New Beccs rescue. The introduction of Jake Davison, and the return of the veteran Deryl Gilham-Jones from a lengthy injury saw Ops maintain the attacking tempo, but the Ops were unable to find a way past the keeper. As is often the way with these things, New Beccs got themselves back into the game with a lobbed effort that Doyle got a glove to, but was just unable to keep out. They then took the lead with a penalty corner, and Ops couldn't quite believe the situation they found themselves in. 2-1 down at half time, but the now famed resilience came to the fore again and Ops kept playing high quality hockey. It was real shock though to find themselves 3-1 down, but the fightback then began. The keeper was finally beaten when Andrews sr thundered a short corner strike into the bottom corner, and with 8 minutes to go, another switched corner routine saw Allon adding to his tally of cricket shot goals, to level the game. Ops pushed hard for a deserved winner, but the keeper made stunning save after stunning save, and with 4 minutes left on the clock, a New Beccs attack saw a pass into the Ops circle somehow evade several defensive sticks until a forward was able to tip the ball in at the far post, to once again break Ops hearts. A hard result to swallow, but the Ops can take considerable pride in the way they kept fighting to the last second