He had just served up a ‘Rambo-like’ performance and knocked in two goals to help reigning champions Cookstown open their Podium 4 Premiership account with an impressive 4-2 victory over Annadale at Ulster University.

After the game, and his ear still bloodied and bandaged Ivan said: “I think we dominated the game, but it was at times very scrappy in the bad weather, there were a lot of mistakes by both sides.

“We had the better of the chances and thankfully we were able to take them.

“The two quick goals in the second half kind of killed the game off and we were then able to sit back and defend.”

So what does this do for Cookstown’s league campaign?

“This gives us a huge boost, this was a must win for us,” said Ivan.

“Every game we play we are trying to improve on what we did last year.

We drew 2-2 in the same fixture last season so we have done what we were trying to achieve. It’s all about progress and this was progress today.”

But Cookstown were stunned after only five minutes on the clock when Fraser Mills got on the end of a free flowing move involving Paul Jackson and Peter Caruth, which saw Mills slot the ball home from close in

However Anandale’s lead was short lived, 12 minutes later Cookstown were back on level terms after a Gareth Cuddy penalty corner flew into net.

Shortly after, Steen and Annadale’s David Smyth clashed heads with Steen sustaining a nasty ear injury but returned to the game with his head wrapped in a bandage.

Thankfully it did not affect his performance and when he was called upon to take a penalty stroke after Gareth Kidd had stopped the ball crossing the line with his feet Steen stepped up and dispatched the ball high into the net to give his side the lead.

With two minutes of the half remaining Annadale were back in the hunt when Neil Hamilton scored from their first short corner of the game.

Cookstown stormed into attack as the second half got underway and in the 37th minute they regained the lead when Steen found Stuart Smyth loitering at the far post, and he made no mistake guiding the ball home.

And 15 minutes later, it was that man Steen again, when he grabbed his second goal of the game flicking the ball into the net.

As the weather conditions worsened, there was little in the way of flowing hockey but it was Cookstown who held on and notched up their first scalp of the season, and what a scalp.

After the game Annadale coach Andy Smith wasn’t too despondent.

He said: “They defended really well inside their 25 and they picked us off. They showed us how to play counter attack hockey and that’s what we have been trying to do.

“Overall I was disappointed and it was a fair result but, I don’t think it deserved to be a 4-2 scoreline.