End of season disappointment

Saturday 13^th April

vs Active Soccer 1-2

Team: Ciarán; Ben, Matty, Connor, Elliot; Caleb; Adam, Josh, Ollie, Danny; Joe T. Subs: Cormac, Joe H, Tom.

The boys rounded off the league season by yet again playing the better football against the team at the top of the league whose style of play, with “professional” pushes, fouls and time wasting, continues to leave a sour taste. Their winner, six minutes from time, was met with screams of relief on the touchline, which tells the boys all that they need to know about their determined performance.

They could hardly have given Active a better start as they gifted them a goal in the first minute as Connor allowed the forward in to shoot. Ciarán was on the edge of the box to save but the rebound was tapped in to the unguarded net.

In the earlier game this season, they folded after conceding the first goal but there is far greater belief in their ability now, as recent displays if not results have shown. The swirling conditions made it difficult to judge the ball at times but Matty was a tower of strength in defence, getting powerful headers on anything that Active threw in and clearing off the line in the 10^th minute after the ball stopped in the wind and deceived Ciarán.

Up front, Joe T was giving a performance that would eventually just shave the Man of the Match award, leading the line strongly against some determined defenders. Caleb gave him a chance in the 4^th minute, which he failed to get any power behind and he went on to work the keeper from long range after 12 minutes.

Joe Topping - Man of the Match

Ciarán bravely took the ball off the forward’s feet, and took a kick in the hand for his efforts, as Active pushed the boys back and Elliot was there to rob the last man a minute later.

Joe T hustled his way into the box, only to be blocked off, but the boys were beginning to gain some momentum. Josh and Danny combined in the area after 22 minutes to open up the left of the Active defence but couldn’t get a shot away and it was an ugly looking challenge on Josh in the 25^th minute that set up another chance. Ben’s free kick flew wide of the target but Active then committed another foul on the opposite side of the pitch. Caleb kept it low and beat everybody, the ball nestling in the far corner of the net to bring the scores level.

The start of the second half was nearly as disastrous as the first: Ciarán was slow off the line as Active threw the ball into the area and, although Ben and Connor relieved the pressure, the keeper still had to pull off a good low save.

Tom, on for the second half with Joe H in place of Elliot and Ollie, was standing firm again at the back as Matty continued to dominate in the air. When Active got through, Ciarán was on hand to pull off a double save in the 36^th minute, with Tom finishing the job off. Joe H picked up from the resultant corner and went long to Joe T who again worked the defence hard, waiting for reinforcements. Ciarán had to go full length for his fingertips to push a shot around the post a minute later and, yet again, it was down to Joe T to relieve the pressure up front.

Ollie came back on in the middle for Josh after 39 minutes as the boys found some space on the left, with Adam feeding Joe T: his first shot was blocked and he fired the rebound wide. Cormac replaced Danny for the last quarter on the right but it was Joe T on the left, whose strength forced a corner that continued to keep the game finely poised.

Active got the breakthrough in the 50^th minute after Ben was beaten to the ball on the left. The shot past the advancing Ciarán was not on target until it rebounded off Tom into the path of the forward who scuffed it into the empty net.

Josh and Elliot came on for Adam and Ben in advanced positions looking for an equaliser but Active saw out the game, with Connor smart in the tackle at the back.

The results since Christmas don’t make for easy reading, but do not tell the whole story. A succession of narrow defeats to the teams at the top, with the boys the equal to all of them, may have left them towards the bottom of the table but the coming cup games should give them the chance to show us just what they can do. With the spine of Matty, Caleb and Joe T, supported by the rest of the team, playing the way they have over the past month, anything is possible.

Big obstacles defeat boys on National day

Saturday 6^th April

vs Marina Sands Lions 1-2

Team: Ciarán; Ben, Connor, Tom, Matty; Adam, Ollie, Caleb, Josh; Joe H, Joe T. Subs: Cormac, Danny, Elliot.

We said farewell this week, for the time being at least, to Jacob who has been given an opportunity to train at Burnley FC. Good luck, Jake – if you can follow in the footsteps of Martin Dobson, Mike Thomas, Tricky Trev (ask your Dad) or even Tommy Lawton (your Grandad might remember his Dad talking about him), we’ll forgive you the wearing of another blue shirt. To follow in Jim Furnell’s footsteps and go from Turf Moor to play for the Reds, I think you’ll need to grow a few inches – I’m sure they’ll provide the gloves!

This was another Groundhog Day performance by the boys, in line with their recent displays in general and against the Lions in particular. The Lions may be big strong lads, but their tactics are limited – pump it over top, mostly direct but sometimes wide, and try to win the race to the ball. It is maybe ironic that the boys took the lead in a similar manner two minutes before the break, but there was nothing hit and hope about Ollie’s perfectly weighted ball, after he had expertly brought it under control. Joe T was too strong for the centre back and his shot beat the keeper.

They had grown slowly into the game, with the choice of Tom at centre back to counter the Lions’ pace proving a wise decision. Connor and Matty were solid in the tackle, although a Lions header over the bar from a corner in the 9^th minute again exposed their set piece fragility.

When they kept it simple, the boys had the chance to move it around the Lions in midfield. Caleb’s incisive pass set up Joe H on the edge of the box who went close in the 13^th minute and he forced a save from the keeper from a similar position a minute later after Ollie’s head had flicked on Ben’s throw-in.

The Lions were on the back foot and Joe T’s surging run forced a corner, which Ben swung into the six yard box. Adam had two chances from the edge of the box after it was partially cleared but his shot was pulled wide.

Ciarán had had little to do up until the 21^st minute, when he pushed a shot to safety after the ball had been hoisted hopefully into the box. Matty recovered well after playing them onside a minute later as the Lions relieved the pressure on their defence but it was the boys who finished half stronger, a mazy run from Adam and a confident turn and shot from Joe T either side of the goal giving them the upper hand.

The Lions defence was alert at the start of the second period, cutting out Joe T’s chance after Caleb had found him on the edge of the box. Matty’s headed clearance cut out a cross as the Lions countered, still looking to stretch the boys with pace up front.

Danny and Elliot came on for Josh and Matty early in the half to freshen up the right hand side. Ciarán was out quickly to save with his feet as the Lions found a ball that was within the forward’s range in the 36^th minute but the back header that gave them another chance four minutes later left him with no chance to prevent the equaliser.

Joe H shot narrowly wide from the restart as the boys responded well but they rode their luck in the 43^rd minute as a free kick from the edge of the box, given for Ben’s handball, rattled the crossbar and Tom and Connor combined to clear it to safety. Joe T’s powerful run after 47 minutes force the Lions to concede a free kick on the right hand edge of the area, but the chance went begging.

The final change saw Cormac come on after 48 minutes, replacing Tom as Joe H dropped into defence but it was a miskick out on the left moments later that allowed the Lions in behind the defence and the cross was headed home to give them the lead.

Caleb Willis - Man of the Match

Joe T and Cormac worked had to put the Lions defence under pressure in search of an equaliser and it was the sub who came closest, just failing to get anything on the ball and turn it into an unguarded net after Danny had beaten the keeper to the ball.

Once again the effort and application could not be faulted as they fell to another narrow defeat. With the luck they are having at the moment, there is no way any of them should have picked Aurora’s Encore in the National! Tom and Connor gave solid displays at the back, standing strong against the pace of the Lions’ attack, but another metronomic performance in midfield from Caleb just took the Man of the Match award.