|
4 October 2009 Match report for Wilmslow Town U11 Cougars 7 - 0 away defeat to Stretfordians JFC U11 Lions (04/10/2009)
The Cougars arrived ready for the match at the Old Stretfordians ground bright and early, despite the storm clouds gathering in the sky. Perhaps it was an early omen of the match ahead, but at the time it seemed like a distant threat. Unfortunately the threat on the pitch was all too real, as the Old Strets ran amok during the first half of the match racking up seven goals, which could have been much worse had it not been for the valiant efforts of Tom and Nathan. The rest of the team had a dreadful first half - as pointed out by Stuart - the boys were more often than not third to the ball in this half, never mind second. It was hard to believe that six of the boys were part of the Jaguars team that yesterday played the top of the table team in their division at Stockport Metro and gave them a 4-0 drubbing - what was going on?
John summed it up by saying that the defence weren't tight enough and that both the midfield and attack walked back when they lost ball, leaving the 3 defenders vulnerable to 5 or even 6 Old Strets players pulling them apart. Despite trying to play the Old Strets forwards offside, the team were beaten for pace every time, (even if some of the decisions about offsides were dubious). As each goal went in, the team seemed to lose the will to fight at all, which became a vicious circle as the goals piled in. Half time couldn't come quick enough for the team, the managers and the watching parents, but it eventually did, with the score at 7-0 to the Old Strets.
The half time team talk was crucial, as the boys worked out for themselves what had gone wrong (with a little help from Stuart and John) and the playful pre-match mood was replaced by some serious reflection. Jayden replaced Will at the back to try to counter the Old Strets pace, Atakan replaced Connor who having had a fantastic game the previous day was suffering from a fever, and Jake came on to replace TJ who had injured his shoulder badly. The introduction of these three injected new life into the team, combined with a transformed attitude from the rest of the boys as John had set them the target of keeping a clean sheet for the second half - could they do it after such a torrid time in the first half? [NB The manager later confessed that he had been concerned that it was just an arbitrary target....]
The start of the second half of the match was a whole new ball game! Jamie, Kieran, Brendan and Atakan combined well going forward and the first attack of the half was from the Cougars as they pressed the Old Strets. This part of the match was characterised by the two teams defending resolutely and then launching counter attacks, with neither side managing to score. It was end to end stuff, however the revitalised Cougars showed their fighting spirit and defended well against a determined Old Strets side. Clearly the Old Strets had anticipated a further goal fest in the second half, however they were to be disappointed as Jayden, William and Tom in defence played strongly using the offside trap very effectively and cleared their lines with confidence. In addition, Jamie, Kieran (and particularly Jake and Atakan), supported the defence well from midfield. Even Brendan tracked back from his centre forward position to assist, while Nathan continued his great form in goal. As the Cougars began to get behind the Strets’ defence, Kieran had a great shot on goal after a characteristic mazy run, which was caught by the Old Strets goalie. Jamie also had a great attempt that went narrowly wide as the Cougars fought back - they were not prepared to take this defeat lying down in the second half!
Joe came on for Kieran and combined well with Atakan, before Atakan had to go off with an injured shoulder and Kieran came back on. Brendan had another of his star moments as he managed to do the splits near the corner flag, but recovered well (reports that he resembled a giraffe during this experience were felt to be unfair.... to giraffes...). This provided some welcome hilarity for the watching parents, who were then suitably impressed as he got up very quickly and carried on as nothing had happened. Such was the Cougars’ attitude this second half.
There were counter attacks at each end as the match continued at full tilt until eventually the whistle blew and the match was over. That final whistle signalled an important moment for the team. The team had stopped the flow of goals from Old Strets and done as they had been asked - they kept a clean sheet for the second half - the first of many we hope!
So why were they so much better in the second half? They defended closer together and closing the gap meant there was less space for opponents to get through. When the team lost the ball, they immediately got behind the ball and challenged the opposition quickly to win it back. They supported each other as a team, and when they had the chance to go forward, they passed either to the feet of a team-mate, into space, or chipped it deftly over the top of their opponents for our attack to run on to.
Thanks to Andy Callaghan and his coaching staff of Old Strets for their supporting comments and a great game against a good team.
Thanks also to Gary Potter for his excellent linesman duty - his firm flagging finally paid off as the offside decisions began to go our way. Finally, thanks must also go to all the parents for their unwavering support of the boys as they learn how to play together as a team. It’s worth noting that last year, the Jaguars were beaten 8-0 by the same team at the corresponding fixture, so there is an improvement there of 1 goal already!
Man of the Match: Tom for an excellent defensive display
Crunchie Moment: Kieran for his great shot on goal
Last Rolo moment: Brendan for his splits! Team
N Forrest, T Collicott, J Graham, J Mason, W Nicol, B Behan, T Jefferis, W Kennedy, K Maguire, J Nugent, C Barton, A Cirmayir, J PotterMan of the Match : T Collicott Source: Helen Nugent << to news index
Wilmslow Town U11 Cougars : More Information
|
Site design by IMA Electronic Media 
