Monday, February 17: Railway Union enjoyed a fantastic weekend of European indoor hockey as they competed in the 2025 EuroHockey Club Indoor Trophy, the second highest European indoor club competition, in Porto, Portugal. Railway secured a fifth-place finish overall having come third in their preliminary pool and topping their crossover pool.
Railway began the competition strongly, securing a 6–1 victory over Portuguese side Deportivo De Viso on Thursday with Lily Lloyd and Orla Patton grabbing a brace each, and Orla Fox and Ailish Long also on the scoresheet. A close encounter with Swiss side HC Rotweiss Wettingen later that day saw Railway lead on two occasions but a second half surge from Wettingen eventually saw them prevail 4-2.
In their final Pool A game, Railway Union played KS Hokeh Start Brzeziny. Having led early on, Railway had to come from behind on two separate occasions to eventually share the points with the Polish side, with the game ending 3-3. The draw saw Railway finish third in their pool and progress to Pool C, consisting of the third and fourth place sides from both Pool A and B.
In their first Pool C game, Railway secured a tight 3-2 win over Italy’s Milano. A first quarter brace from Ailish Long gave Railway a 2-0 lead that they defended until the final quarter. A goal from Milano halved the deficit with two minutes still to play, but Matilde Errico restored the two-goal cushion less than a minute later. A 40th minute goal from Milano proved just to be a consolation.
Their final game of the competition pitted them against HAHK Mladost, a side from Croatia’s capital of Zagreb. After a scoreless first quarter Lily Lloyd got Railway off the mark in Q2 before Matilde Errico made it 2-0 going into half-time. Orla Patton grabbed Railway’s third goal from a penalty corner, and Mladost responded to make it 3-1. Railway’s Orla Fox grabbed the fourth goal for Railway in Q4 to seal the victory.
Railway Union’s wins in Pool C meant they topped the pool and secured a fifth-place finish overall. The side scored an impressive 18 goals across the competition, the joint second most of any side, with Lily Lloyd and Orla Patton both netting five times each. Railway Union will now turn their focus to European Indoor Hockey in 2026 and a seventh successive defense of their National Indoor Trophy.