2025/26 Season. Loughts Men’s 4s.

Following a historic unbeaten promotion campaign last year, the Loughts Men’s 4s were on another quest for glory. This time, the holy grail was survival in a league that we dropped from after a close relegation battle two years ago. Looking to right this particular wrong in the records book, we knew we had grown a lot as team since then, and went into this season full of confidence and belief, and on the back of two strong wins against Upminster and Hertford in pre-season.

As already mentioned, the main aim this year was to establish ourselves back at this level, and with the side more settled, and the team now playing more regularly together, we were sure this aim would be achieved. As it would turn out, after the dust had settled for this campaign, this target was completely blown away.

But, before getting to that point, there is plenty of defensive resilience, attacking prowess, and all the highs and lows of another impressive year, to reflect upon.

Having not lost at all last year, we first wanted to extend this unbeaten run for as long as possible, and succeeded through the first few weeks of the season, as we opened the season with a great point away to Upminster 2s (who came down this year), and then back-to-back-to-back wins against Witham 2s and Waltham Forest 3s, and then a brilliant battled victory against Bengal Tigers. This was a supreme start to the season, though unfortunately, a close defeat away to Upminster 3s would soon end our long unbeaten streak running back over a year of matches.

Nevertheless, as the team so often did last year, we bounced back in brilliant fashion by beating a very decent Havering 2s side 4-0! This set us up perfectly for the run-in till Christmas, in which we won a further 3 times against Thurrock (with another four-goal haul), Southend, and then Upminster 2s again (this time with our own “magician” Dan helping himself to four goals!). With prior draws against extremely strong Waltham Forest 2s and Redbridge & Ilford sides taken into account, we closed out 2025 sitting nicely at the top of the league. What an absolutely outstanding first half to the season by this incredible group of players.

Having rested up (and eaten far too much) over Christmas and New Year, we went into the second half of the season determined to not put any added pressure on ourselves, and just to enjoy our hockey as we had already all but ensured our survival in the league. However, we still had that burning desire to win every match, and a confidence in our own ability that we could do just that. 2026 started with back-to-back draws against Witham 2s and Waltham Forest 3s that was comprehensively forgotten in our next match against Bengal Tigers, in which we stormed to a 5-0 victory. And after a draw against Upminster 3s, we responded once again with a hard-fought win away to a tricky Havering 2s side. At this point in the season, we were 2nd and only 1 point off the top with a game in hand over leaders Waltham Forest 2s. Next up was a top-of-the-table clash that would set the tone for the rest of the season, and we were eager to show ourselves and the rest of the league just how far we had come as a team, and that we could truly compete with any side in this division.

Now, although we narrowly lost this match, and would not pick up another victory in our final 3 games of the season, we only lost one final time against local rivals Redbridge & Ilford, before ending the year with back-to-back draws against Thurrock and fellow promotion challengers Southend. The final league standings saw us in a fantastic 4th place, and with a record of 9 wins, 8 draws and only 3 losses (with only league winners Forest losing less matches).

I could not be prouder of how the team played all year, never given up in close matches, and proving to be a tough task for the some of the best players at this level. Ultimately it was the number of draws that kept us out of the promotion places by only a handful of points when all was said and done, but this season was nothing but an immense success. The very fact that we were in the conversation to be promoted (and even win the league) in our first season back at this level, is a testament to the character and skill of every single player that has been a part of our tremendous season. I would like to say a personal thank you to all the parents and supporters that have followed the team this year. Whether this be as taxi service, supporting at matches, taking videos/photos for us all to enjoy, reading (mostly) weekly match reports, and even bearing my own updates of the team’s progress on social media, you have all contributed to making this another memorable season for all of us players. Thank you all!

And finally, a huge thank you to everyone that makes our matches possible. From Captain Rob who continues to be the glue that holds the whole team together on and off the pitch, to Men’s Club Captain Simon and all the volunteers and coaches (yes, including you Coach Chris), that have helped arrange fixtures and teas for matches, as well as delivered excellent training for the team all year long. I would like to also thank all the umpires that have given up their time to help keep our play I check across the season, and without them, we would again not have any matches to play, so thank you all. To all the staff at the club, from Jack and everyone that helps with the general running of the club, and to all bar and kitchen staff that ensure the club is open to everyone all year long. Again, a huge thank you to everyone that has helped make Old Loughts the best club to be a part of.

As mentioned in last year’s end of season report, I am immensely privileged and grateful to have belonged to such an incredible group of players for 3 seasons now, and playing with you all remains the highlight of my week. Most of us have now played with each other for a few years now, and I honestly believe there is no better team culture to be a part of. We never put a man down, and work hard for each other no matter the situation or score on the pitch. So, it was with deepest gratitude that I thank you all for making this team the awesome group of lads that it is, and here’s to plenty more matches with you all!

Now, with all the thanks taken care of, the part of the report that I know you are all really here for – THE STATS!

First up we have the overall team stats:
League Position: 4th.
Points: 35.
Home Record: W5 D4 L1 (19 points). 24 goals scored, 17 goals against.
Away Record: W4 D4 L2 (16 points). 21 goals scored. 13 goals against.
Goals scored: 45.
Penalty Corner Goals: 7.
Goals against: 30.
Clean sheets: 4 (all for our keeper Harrison).
Goals scored per game: 2.25.
Goals against per game: 1.50.
Biggest winning streak: 3 games (27th Sep to 18th Oct, 2025).
Best Opponent: Bengal Tigers (7-1 on aggregate) and Havering 2s (5-0 on aggregate).
Worst Opponent: Redbridge & Ilford, Upminster 3s and Waltham Forest 2s (1 draw, 1 loss for each).

And now for the player stats:
Players used across the season: 40.
Most appearances: 19 (Ryan, Connor, Rob), 18 (Mike, Sam B.), 17 (Harrison).
Goal scorers across the season: 15.
Most goals (5 players scored 2+ goals): 11 (Dan), 6 (Jordan), 5 (Leo), 4 (Ryan, Mike).
Best goal/game ratio: 1 (Sam K. – 2 in 2, Rohan – 1 in 1), 0.73 (Dan), 0.50 (Jordan).
Most Cards (9 players in total): 3 green (Mike), 2 green (Ryan, Sam B.), 1 yellow (Connor).
Most MoM wins: Harrison (3).
Most DoD wins: Ryan (3).

Above all else, these stats show the range of important contributions that every player made to this season’s success, and demonstrates the teamwork that is vital for gaining points in a very competitive division.

And, as I draw this report to a close for another year, I will leave you with a personal anecdote that underscores the type of team that I am lucky to be part of. This was during our first home match of the season against Witham 2s. During the second half of the contest, I made some horrible passes on multiple occasions, getting increasingly frustrated with myself. Luckily, the team were able to cover for my mistakes and defend well against the resulting short corners that came. After the match, even though we secured a 2-1 win, I was personally deflated after my own performance, but still decided to go for my customary couple of post-match laps round the pitch before going for teas. During this time, however, recognising my current deflation, many people in the team assured me I did not have a terrible game, and generally checked in to make sure I was ok. Being usually someone that can stew on things for a while myself, without the selfless support of my teammates, my post-match mood would have definitely not improved for a while. Though, due to the nature of the team’s comradery and support for one another, I was soon enjoying teas and a drink with the team, even jokingly mocking my prior frustrations.

What an amazing team and season to be a part of, and here’s to another successful 2026/27 campaign…
…and in the (few) words of my beloved Mr. Bean, “Well, that’s what I think, anyway.”

Signing off for the final time this year,
Ryan