'Rooney' goal from Matt not quite enough for the Jaguars in a terrific match. - A performance to be proud of.

12 March 2011

The Jaguars met the Cougars at Lacey Green in our own Division A derby game. Nervous coaches warmed up excited players  as the crowd waited for the kick off of this eagerly anticipated match. 

The Jaguars started off with Freddie in goals, Joel and Jack at the back with Connor parked in front of them. Max, Dante and Joe were up front. The first third was an even affair with both sets of players more or less cancelling each other out. Sadly, Calum Lovatt hit a good shot that deflected off a Jaguar and the referee gave a penalty for handball. No criticism of the referee is implied but it may have been outside the penalty area. Calum took an excellent penalty giving Freddie no chance. One nil to the Cougars.

The second period saw Harrison, Cameron, Matt, Ollie and Will come on. The Cougars' biggest threat, George Archer, appeared on the left wing. For fifteen minutes Will marked George out of the game. Will also managed a shot on goal that flew just wide. The Cougars piled on the pressure, but the Jaguars stood firm.

The final period was the grand finale. Early on George worked his magic and  managed to slip his markers and smash the ball into the back of the net giving Jack no chance. The game looked finished but Matt thought otherwise. picking the ball up on the right, he fired the ball backwards over his head, giving Oscar no chance, to take the score to 2-1. The last few minutes were all Jaguars, but they were unable to finish off with an equaliser. A draw would have been a fair result, but genuine congratulations to David and his Cougars, who played a great game of football.

For the Jaguars, Freddie had one of his best performances. Jack was solid at left back and confident in goals . Both players kicked out well. Harrison showed what a great defender he is and how much the team missed him last week. Joel did a great marking job on Ethan Ford. Connor and Cameron were both terrific in the tackle and passed well. Joe worked hard out on the left. Dante and Max showed flashes of brilliance but never really had a clear opportunity between them. Ollie almost slipped his marker and did a good job up front. That only leaves two players. Matt and Will. Two top class under nine football players. They both had a massive impact on the game. They both ran their hearts out, tackled and almost gave the Jaguars the second goal they so desperately wanted. Matt edged Man of The Match with his goal but Will's Silver award is something he should be very proud of. Cameron's excellent performance in midfield and at left back got him a bronze award.

The Jaguars' managers came away from the match smiling because all the players played great football against a great team. We lost but everyone did what they had been asked to do. We can ask no more. On another day we might have won 2-1, but today the Cougars took the honours. We are proud of all the players and enjoyed every minute of the game. Thanks boys! 

Source: John Hayhurst

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