A depleted Dalefield gave high fliers Indians more than they bargained for in their Wellington premier division men's hockey match in Wellington on Saturday.
Dalefield actually led 1-0 at halftime and 2-1 in the early stages of the second spell but it was Indians who had the final say, scoring the
last three goals of the game to win 4-2.
It was Kane Cornford who scored the first Dalefield goal but unfortunately he had to leave the field with a knee injury late in the first half.
A lack of reserves meant he was replaced by coach Mark Fenwick who not long afterwards picked up a yellow card and left Dalefield with just 10 players on the field for a brief period.
Indians levelled the scores early in the second spell only to have to Dalefield go ahead 2-1 when Alan Brady, who had been shifted from goalkeeper to centre forward in the second spell, scored with a reverse stick shot.
Staring what would have been a huge upset in the face, Indians dug deep and a strong finish saw them add three further goals to their tally.
Coach Fenwick labelled the effort as Dalefield's best of the season. He said his team had been suffering from slow starts in many of their matches and the emphasis had been placed on them starting strongly on this occasion.
"We wanted everyone to step up right from the word go and they did exactly that, the first half effort was outstanding," he said.
It was tough going for the Dalefield women in their Wellington premier division match with competition leaders Eastern Hutt ,the latter winning 9-0.
