We started so brightly, with some great passing, that it looked like we were back on course after our last hiccup. Smart passing between Liam, Lucaas and Alex, led to Harry Reid being put into a scoring position after only 4 minutes, He didn't make a mistake and we went 1-0 up. It was then that things got messy and we were far too confident moving the ball up without holding the midfield. This meant that were too exposed and invited them to attack, which they did. However, some keen tackling by the defence of Harry C, Matt, Luke and Sam, made sure that we pretty safe, At times, we rode out luck, and it was only Thomas coming back to clear off the line more than once that kept us ahead. Then, for some reason a player asked  how long was left and everybody took their foot off the gas. To make matters worse, the very next attack resulted in an almost mis-kicked ball which bobbled awkwardly past an incredulous James, just as the whistle was about to blow.

    1-1 was not a fair reflection of the game, and we should have been ahead as the second half started (Marcus moved up to replace Lucaas who was off injured, and Jack on to replace Marcus). Thomas, Captain for the match, commanded the midfield as attack after attack was launched to regaining our lead.  Liam tried to link up with Alex's clever touches and Harry R's surging runs, but there was no end product. Marcus tried to conjure some through-play, but Wollaston were putting every man behind the ball to thwart us and merely play counterattacks. Bailey came on for Harry R, Lucaas came back on for Liam, both to allow us more width in play. We began to get more of the ball finally, thanks mainly to Sam's long-ranging kicks, and we came very close with shots from Harry C, Alex and Jack. A counterattack then found Wollaston in our goal area, after 3 successive corners, and the ball struck the hand of their attacker, who hit the ball downwards to his feet. Our defence instinctively stopped play, but the referee did not see the incident and so did not blow, meaning the player had only to tap the ball in to win the game-which he did. A loss snatched from the jaws of a victory. Despite some concerted injury-time attempts, we could not even force the draw. Tired legs meant one touch too many from just about everyone, and we ran out of time.

    Incredibly disappointing, especially after our lovely play at the start of the match. We'll bounce back, though-this was just a bad day at the office. Next week-our Cup match!

 

Man of the Match: Marcus-a hard decision, but Marcus just edged it with his unrelenting effort and battling spirit. Well done Marcus-keep it up!

 

Many thanks to the Parents for their constant support, our great sponsors, our coaches and the lads themselves!