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28 March 2010 Match report for Wilmslow Town U13 Cougars 1 - 1 home draw with Barr Hill Lads Club U13 (28/03/2010)
What might have been is how we all felt at the final whistle. Following on from last weeks breathtaking performance, an expectant crowd turned up to see if the boys return to form was to be continued or just a blip. They were not disappointed as Town put on a fine show, all that was missing was goals.
On a sunny but very blustery day and with the boss & his assistant absent at kick off due to their admirable participation in the Wilmslow half marathon, it was left to the ex boss to dust down his boots, pre match notes and offer words of encouragement to the boys and he could not have asked for a better response.
Right from kick off, it was noticeable that the confidence generated from last weeks win was still in good abundance as Town took the game to their visitors. The first of many penetrating runs by Bradley quickly brought the first save of the match. With Lawto unavailable, Owain took on the responsibility of the side’s new midfield “enforcer” and with his first challenge; he started off a fine move that resulted in Town taking the lead in the 3rd minute. Wining the ball deep in his own half, Owain found Milan in plenty of space. Milan’s through ball to Pete was perfectly executed, Pete holding off the close attentions of the centre back, then fed a fine ball down the left flank to Deano who used his pace to get away from his marker before squaring a fine ball to Fordy arriving at the far post to coolly slot home with a confident finish.
Playing with the strong wind behind them, proved at times more of a disadvantage as some fine through balls, that had beaten the defensive line and on a normal day would have seen Pete, Deano or Ollie getting on the end of, were simply blown off the pitch. Bradley did take advantage of the wind and showed great power and accuracy with a series of long range shots, one of which cannoned off the underside of the post and despite claims from the touch line, the ref could not be persuaded to award a goal. Where is a Russian linesman when you need one !!!
Shortly afterwards Town could have & should have gone further ahead. Deano put pressure on the keeper by chasing down a through ball forcing the keeper to fumble and with the goal at his mercy and from only 2 yards out, somehow managed to only make the slightest connection with the ball allowing the opposition to clear the ball off the line.
Town were playing some great football, with plenty of passing and good movement. The back four was looking solid, meaning Henry had little to do; Owain was getting used to his new role and trying to remember not to get ahead of the ball ! They all seemed to be enjoying their football and it was noticeable that there was more noise coming from the pitch & less from the touch line.
Another fine flowing move, involving Milan & Bradley in midfield released Fordy on the right wing & his cross to the far post was almost converted by Pete at the far post.
From the resulting goal kick, the ball was won back and Boyley this time was denied by a fine save, it certainly was not going to be Pete’s day. Barr Hills keeper was proving his worth, despite the earlier handling blunder, as he pulled off two further fine saves from a couple of Bradley thunderbolts.
As half time approached, the management arrived in good spirits and full of stories of jellybeans and Vaseline, to offer their form of encouragement.
Barr Hill are a good side and they proved this in the second half, with the quality of their football aided by the strong wind. Right from the kick off they put Town on the back foot and if it was the midfield & forward line that caught the eye in the first half now it was the turn of the defence to catch the eye. All showed their ability to head as well as hold a good defensive line on the edge of the box. With the Barr Hill forward line, showing good pace, Raife & Barto stood firm in the centre showing good strength and timing their challenges well to win the ball. Not to be outshone Jordi and Benno matched their central partners giving Barr Hill no opportunities to explore the flanks. It was good to see Benno in the thick of things, reminding us of his speed, great heading ability and good distribution. It’s a shame his season has been blighted by injury & illness.
Behind the back line Henry, quickly proving to be the find of the season, pulled off three fine saves to keep Town in the lead. Needing to wrestle some of the impetus back, Eric resuming control, threw Dan on in a forward midfield position and this proved a master stroke, as the big man, who in recent weeks has been suffering with a leg injury, immediately caused the opposition problems with his powerful runs and rattled off a couple of quick shots that were close to the target.
Pete seemed to benefit from more support and forced the keeper into a fine save, after an excellent solo run and Bradley gaining a second wind started to make further foraging runs. The boss also freshened up the flanks with Adam & Ol Mehta coming on for Fordy & Deano, The Wilmslow Express quickly announcing his presence with a good shot from the edge of the box.
The match was now end to end and was proving great entertainment for the large crowd, with both sides playing the game in the right spirit as well as playing some quality passing football.
It was not surprising that Barr Hill equalised, although a little disappointing in the manner it was conceded as for the only time in the game, there was a breakdown in communication in Town’s defence resulting in the ball not being properly cleared and it fell to Barr Hills number seven who scored with a fine volley from the edge of the box.
Town responded positively to the set back and with Jack joining Boyley up front, swiftly went back on the attack, Ol Meeta showing quick feet, nimbly skipped passed his marker and squared a ball to Dan, but with only the keeper to beat, the ball got stuck in his feet and he was unable to get his shot off.
With the ref ready to blow for full time, Brad set off on another powerful run, after brushing past a couple of opponents, he drove into the penalty box, where he was caught by a defender and like his LFC idol, ensured the Ref saw the challenge.
Up stepped Boyley for a rare Town penalty, with team mates, crowd, opponents alike all holding their breath, he placed the ball down with confidence, took five paces back and struck the ball well, sending the keeper the wrong way, unfortunately for him & his team mates (and his parents, who would now have to endure an afternoon & evening of anger & disappointment) the ball agonisingly went the wrong side of the post and that proved to be the last kick of the match.
A fine match ended one apiece and everyone was left looking forward to the rematch in a few weeks time. The boss was delighted with the performance and positive spirit shown, but was eager to keep the post match pitch side analysis down to the minimum as he was in urgent need of medical attention which was apparantly on draft at The Farmers.
MOM
Bradley produced another Gerrardesque performance with some storming runs, thunderbolt shots, bone jangling tackles and a 9.9 fall in the penalty box !!.
Henry
Another great performance that came close to earning him back to back MOM’s Pulled off two fine second half saves and has added great presence and assurance to the back line.
Jordan Garner
Another solid performance winning every challenge, showed good presence to give himself a yard against a very quick opponent to ensure he did not get past him.
Raife Copp-Barton
Another fine performance used his pace and strength well to match the opposing strikers speed..
Oliver Barton
As with his central defensive partner another fine performance, used his pace and strength well to match the opposing striker’s speed and his height to win every ball in the air. Even went on a storming run deep into the opposition half, that took the opposition and his team mates by total surprise.
Bennett Harris
Like his defensive team mates stood up well to his task and showed great determination to win the ball on the ground and in the air, where he won every header and thinks he might have lost a few brain cells along the way !!!.
Ol Ford
Almost a mirror of last week with a great first half, that saw him open the scoring with a fine strike and made a series of penetrating runs down the right flank. The big pitch took it’s toll on him half way through the second half as he had simply run himself into the ground.
Bradley Jackson
Another excellent attacking midfield performance, Brad certainly benefits, from knowing he has defensive midfield cover behind him. Deservedly won MOM, could have and possibly did score with a fine strike that hit the underside of the bar, but the goal was not given. Some great penetrating runs, but must work on his falls under challenge !!!.
Milan
A good first half and linked up well with Brad, again showed some good touches but needs to try and work on the simple ball and avoid taking too many touches and turning into trouble.
Dean Musa
Grew in confidence once he realised that although his opponent was at least a foot taller than him, he was not as quick. Showed good fitness to keep going and also the confidence to demand the ball and to let his team mates and all spectators know when they failed to pass it to him.
Peter Boyle
Led the line well and forced the keeper into a couple of fine saves, on another day could have easily scored a hat trick, still needs to work on running the channels more.
Least said about the penalty miss the better, Pete was reminded that even United’s great penalty takers Ronnie, Eric & Ruud used to miss the odd one, not to mention any player wearing an England shirt !!.
Dan Miller
Came on as a second half sub, (due to carrying an injury) and immediately made a telling contribution with a series of strong powerful runs from midfield and with a bit of luck and a touch of composure, could have scored a couple of goals. Hopefully by the next game Dan will be fitter and be able to take part from the start.
Adam Shaw
Came on as a replacement to Fordy and immediately made a series of telling runs using his great pace to get behind his full back
Ollie Mehta
As with his fellow sub, Adam, came on to replace Deano and kept the pressure on Barr Hill’s full back with a series of positive runs.
Jack Gillespie
Came on as a late sub and held the ball up well.
Not available
James Lawton
Had the foresight to go to London for the weekend to avoid the ribbing from his United team mates following the 4 nil hammering his beloved Trotters suffered the day before.
George Todd – Good to see G on the touch line offering his support and to hear he is only a couple of weeks away from being allowed to play.
 Man of the Match: Bradley Jackson
Team : H Weekes, O Barton, R Copp-Barton, J Garner, O Davies, O Ford, B Harris, B Jackson, D Musa, A Shaw, M Starkie,
P Boyle, J Gillespie, O Mehta, D Miller
 Goals : O Ford
Source: A Boyle << to news index
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