Thrapston started the brighter of the two teams and should have taken the lead when William Gadsby missed the target when one-on-one with the keeper early on. It was then predominantly a half of resilient defending and luck as Thrapston hung on as Wilby created and spurned many good chances down the Thrapston left.
Against the run of play Thrapston took the lead; Luke O’Dell released a quick goal kick that Alex Palmer latched on to, to outpace the Wilby defence and exquisitely lob the keeper via the underside of the bar – route one for 1-0 close to half time.
A half time re-shuffle due to injury saw Harry Doubleday slot in at left back to produce his best performance of the season and stiffen up the left. The game was still dominated by Wilby but Thrapston had learnt lessons and the defence was much more resilient and O’Dell in goal rarely looked troubled.
It was another touch of brilliance from Alex Palmer that secured the win for Thrapston. From the breakdown of a corner the ball was laid back to Palmer who rifled in a low drive from an acute angle – sublime.
Wilby kept pushing forward but Thrapston held out resolutely for the points and a very hard fought win. The mantra this week has been “the hard work you put in does reap the rewards you deserve” yes we rode our luck in the first half but the hard work and touch of genius earned us this win.
A fantastic all round defensive performance against a Wilby team that can play good football – lets carry this standard forward.
