No Ordinary Joe . . . Naughalty Fights Back From Illness To Prove He’s Still Wales’ Top Marksman

Joe Naughalty is back in the goals and firing on all cylinders once again in the Wales hockey team.

The man who combines working as the director of hockey at Lancing College, coaching at Brighton & Hove HC and playing internationally, notched a sensational hat-trick in Wales’ 4-4 draw with Brazil in the 3 Nations Tournament in Spain.

Wales ended the event on a notable on a high as they avenged their earlier defeat against the USA with a thumping 4-0 win and then beat Brazil 3-1 to come out on top of the table.

Naughlty added a fourth goal to his tournament tally in the win over the Brazilians.

Having sat out the 3-1 opening game defeat to the USA this week, Naughalty made a massive impact against the Brazilians, who then went on to beat the USA 2-1, as he made up for lost time by hitting the back of the net three times to help his side salvage the draw.

Forced to retire back in 2015 due to injury, and struggling to cope with epilepsy, Naughalty missed out on the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

He made his return to the Welsh squad last summer and played in all the games in the FIH Hockey Series held in Croatia to help his side finish second.

secure a 3-1 against in their final match of the series! Epic results team! Goals @garethfurlong18 x2 @JoeyNaughalty

Looking forward to catching up with Head Coach Zak Jones & Captains @LewisProsser & @lukehawker89 on the back of a great week #PlayingfortheDragon pic.twitter.com/fTqjEMB5Yk

— Hockey Wales (@HockeyWales) February 2, 2019

He proved his knack for scoring goals hadn’t left him by banging in 25 in 18 league games for Brighton & Hove HC last season, earning him the title of Player of the Season in National League Conference East.

It could well prove to be a timely return to form for Wales with one of their most important years ahead of them.

The FIH Hockey Series Finals, where the team will push for crucial world ranking points, is the first big target, followed by the 2019 Belfius EuroHockey Championship.

You have to go back 20 years for the last time Wales featured in the top-tier of the European event and it will be their first time in the A division since the eight-team format was introduced. All to play for, then.

“It was great to score again and there was also some relief. It had been such a long time since my last goal for Wales,” admitted Naughalty, who has reached 80 caps for his country.

“I felt lots of pride to be back contributing to the team during this exciting time for us going forward into the summer. Once I had the first goal, it was just about relaxing and playing our game.

“As a team we have some fantastic attacking players, so you know there will always be chances. The second goal was a penalty corner and the third was a case of being in the right place at the right time.

In their third game of the round-robin 3 Nations Invitational in Spain, the USMNT took on a revengous Wales team, who USA beat in the opening match. This second meeting saw the tides turn as Wales came out victors in a 4-0 win. https://t.co/aNsrzqmjJR pic.twitter.com/EgiOKDp5e1

— USA Field Hockey (@USAFieldHockey) February 1, 2019

“Goal scoring is great, but results for the team are the ultimate goal. There is a great atmosphere in the squad and it’s a lot of fun to be part of the group.”

Naughalty’s return to form has certainly gone down well with his team mates and they will be hoping for more goals from him throughout the year.

“I think most people overlook that fact that Joe is one of the more experienced players within the squad. We generally have a young squad, which has its advantages, but can bring with it a lack of depth and breadth in experience which is vital when competing and being successful at this level,” said Wales captain Luke Hawker.

“The addition of another experienced senior player – Joe comes back in with 80 caps behind him – enhances the strength of the squad and enables us to better support the development of our exciting young talent.

“I don’t think we’ve yet seen the best of Joe as a player on the international stage, so I am excited to see what he can add to us.”