Nip and Tuck - U9 Cougars defeat Lymm despite coming under friendly fire

10 October 2009

Cougars games are getting more exciting every week, with two players away on international duty and one on the physio’s bench (Will, wedding, Harry party and Charlie ill) their first game in the revamped league tables was against Lymm with a bare 7. The good news is Olivia is back after a lengthy absence due to a foot injury and Joe is fit again after a conker related injury, the seven available would prove to be magnificent.

Lymm started like a train and the cougars looked like they were missing their teeth but Martin was having one of those games where every thing would go Cougars way. He made four or five superb saves giving the rest of the team confidence to go and do what they do well, play football. Slowly the Cougars started to wake up and push forward, Ben, Luke and Joe began to find Neeki and Olivia who in turn started to bring Freddie into play up front.

The cougars worked the ball up the right hand side of the pitch only to be impeded twenty yards from goal, perfect for a left footer; Joe lined up the free kick and smashed it into the top right hand corner of the net. At this point it looked like the Cougars had woken up and would probably make a comfortable game of it, but Lymm had not read our script they pushed hard with a number of unsuccessful sorties down the Cougars left and with a half hit shot goal ward Ben scuffed his clearance passed Martin giving him no chance. 

15 minutes: Lymm 1 Wilmslow Cougars 1

In the second third Cougars started well, Neeki and Olivia were controlling the middle of the park and Ben and Joe were taking it in turns to raid up the flanks, Freddie’s work rate up front was tireless as always and Luke was everywhere he needed to be at the back and showing Lymm what a class defensive performance looks like, with Martin always there on the rare occasion he needed to be. Cougars got the break through from a corner on their left. Ben, who has been putting in dangerous corners all day floated a lovely ball into the penalty area which Neeki was only going to do one thing with, he guided the ball into the net with a peach of a header.

This seemed to give Lymn the impetus to have another go at the Cougars and within five minutes they had equalised with a smart move down Cougars left hand side, Lymm number 7 had been a thorn in Cougars side all day. At two each both teams were working hard and looking to open up each others defences.  Lymm found a way through first with a speculative ball across the face of the Cougars goal; Joe stuck his right foot out only to guide it into his own net. From the kick off Freddie pushed the ball into space in front of Neeki who powered forward beating two defenders before blasting the ball past the keeper into the back of the net.

30 minutes: Lymm 3 Wilmslow Cougars 3

At the break the team talk was easy “there has been six goals, it is three each and WE HAVE SCORED FIVE OF THEM now go out there and put it in the right net” the cougars responded brilliantly with a number of half chances flying past the Lymn goal. 

Lymm also had chances, one tested Martin to the limit when their number 7 flashed the ball across the face of the goal Martin got something on it and pushed it passed the post for a corner. Cougars defended the corner well and passed the ball up the left hand side to Neeki who had Olivia and Freddie in front of him out numbering the Lymn defence three to one only to be pulled back by the referee because of an injury. Cougars pushed hard and was now looking like the most likely team to score, a free kick had the crowd jumping only to go the wrong side of the post and a shot from Neeki looked good and even better when Olivia glanced a header onto the bar leaving the keeper with no chance.

With no more than five minutes to go Cougars won a corner on their right hand side, Ben took it hitting the ball waste height into the Lymn penalty area, Olivia reacted first and guided the ball into the Lymn net 3-4.

It was backs to the wall stuff now with Lymn desperate to find an equaliser from anywhere Cougars stood strong and defended resolutely. With no more than 30 seconds to go Cougars won another corner this time on the left, as the ball pinged around Lymms area it drew the Cougars defenders forward leaving a huge gap that lymm exploited and their forward raced into, with only Luke to beat they had a spare man and time to run at Luke, the Wilmslow crowd went quiet but the Lymm crowd cheered excitedly and expectant, Luke however was having none of it he calmly took the ball off the Lymm attackers and played a controlled pass forward only to hear the final whistle before it reached its intended target.

Well done Cougars and a fabulous result.

45 minutes: Lymm 3 Wilmslow Cougars 4

MOTM this was a difficult one as every Cougars player worked tirelessly and performed superbly in the end Neeki edged it with an all round excellent game and two goals to his name.

Man of the Match : N Arkian

Source: P Jones

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