U11 Jaguars tamed by Chinley - thanks to an 'Italian'...

 

The boys lined up with Fin in goal, a defence of Neil, Ted, Tom and Charlie, Hector and TJ in midfield, with Jamie, Kieran, Shorty and Natty up front. Substitutes for the day were Sam, Brendan and Will.

 

The boys were reminded that Chinley had lost only once this season, and that was to Stockport Vikings, the only other unbeaten team in the Division. We should  therefore expect a competitive game, but providing we had the appetite for the challenge, the boys should prevail.

 

Despite losing the toss, the boys started brightly, creating chances, having the majority of possession and trying to play football. It soon started to become clear however, why Chinley went into the game with such a good record. Well organised, playing with a deep back line, a defensive midfielder, safe hands in goal, and roared on by a vociferous support and even more vocal coach, Chinley proved very difficult to break down.

 

Then as the first half wore on with the game still without a goal, Chinley dispossessed Charlie. They broke away, the chase was on, Fin raced out of his goal, he looked like he was favourite to clear the ball away, but somehow, and against the run of play, Chinley poked the ball and scored! The home crowd went wild, Chinley had the lead to hold onto. Game on.

 

The Jaguars responded. A pass from Jamie on the left, an overlap from Kieran, his scooped cross was missed by TJ, but thankfully Shorty was there to smash the ball into the back of the net. 1-1! Half time.

 

Time to regroup. Changes. Some of the ‘easier’ performances in recent weeks were causing problems in this match. The midfield was playing in attack, everyone wanted to score and the full backs were playing football in exposed areas. We had conceded a soft goal by playing too far up the field.

 

In the second half Brendan came on for TJ, with Shorty moving into midfield, alongside Sam who replaced Hector. The half started as the first ended. The Jaguars having the majority of possession and creating opportunities. Natty missed a ‘sitter’ firing straight at the goalkeeper, Brendan created a chance from nothing, and with only the goalkeeper to beat, fluffed his shot. The ball would not break, anxiety crept into the boys’ play, and the Chinley defence played a blinder.

 

Then in the last minute, another break away by Chinley. A shot, time stood still, agonisingly, the ball went past the post. Thank goodness!

 

The final whistle blew, the crowd went mad, the Chinley boys were jumping for unbridled joy. Dejection at a draw showed how far the Jaguars have come this season. The boys now expect to win, but wins have to be earned and today we have to say "well played Chinley " and "well done" to their coach. Our disappointment being tempered by some post-match sausage sandwiches from the Community Centre.

 

We didn’t win because we forgot at times to play football with our heads. We tried to pass the ball in dangerous areas, we tried to pass the ball in the sand, we wanted one touch too many and in the first half we forgot our formation, with the midfield in particular playing out of position. On a poor pitch we must learn that sometimes we can create more chances by passing the ball less and playing the ball quicker into the penalty area.

 

We also didn’t win because the Chinley coach confided after the game that he had promised his boys an Italian meal for the whole team if they didn’t get beat today!

 

Ciao Chinley, many thanks for the warm welcome, your hospitality, and a competitive match. We look forward to the return fixture.

 

Goalscorer; Shorty (1)

 

GBK Man of the Match; Brendan –this award is to one of the unsung heroes of the squad. Brendan has a great attitude, he trains well, he has played most of his matches this season as a substitute, (and on occasion as a non-playing substitute), but he never complains and is always ready to be called upon and play in any position. In this match, Brendan came on to play as a forward, immediately made an impact, he wasn’t afraid of any challenge, and was very unlucky not to score the winning goal. Well played Big Bren.