U11 Cougars - Back on form - putting 5 past a weakened Lymm Rovers

The Cougars arrived at cold and windy Lymm, by far the coldest day of the season so far, I’d like to say that they looked ready to go but they actually just looked really, really cold!! After a couple of games of Bulldog to warm players and parents up the boys (and Olivia of course) were ready to get stuck in!

 

The cougars started from the centre with Lymm choosing to shoot downhill with the wind behind them, and it was not long before the goal mouth action got underway. The Cougars tweak in formation of a three, four, one allowed the midfield to get up alongside Will and support the attacking play. On the flip side the defence found it a little difficult to come to terms with and the wing backs were learning their role, getting up and down the pitch was energy sapping.

 

Lymm hit first with some nice football on the Cougars left hand side, this left Ben Redhead with only one thing to do and that was pick the ball out of the net. Cougars started playing now with some of the kind of football you would be happy to pay to watch. Charlie and Ben controlled the middle of the park with Olivia on the left and Freddie on the right. The defence of Luke, Joe and Callum were involved in supporting the midfield with some excellent two touch football.

 

Cougars breakthrough started at the back with Luke picking up a loose ball and passing a ten yard ball diagonally inside to Charlie who beat his man and was closed down by two Lymm players, Charlie tried to find Olivia on the left but Will intercepted the pass and set off down the left wing goal ward, with his options limited he turned back inside and hit a cross with pace across the face of the Lymm goal, Freddie anticipated Wills cross and cut in front of the Lymm defender glancing a superb header into the top of the net (picture Teddy Sherringham’s goal 1999 ECF). Although Cougars were on top they were sloppy on the half way line letting Lymm’s right midfielder in on goal, the defence showed him the line but he found their centre forward in space who again gave Ben no chance.

 

 

With a HT team talk still ringing in their ears Cougars chased Lymms poor back pass down with Will touching the ball away from their defender and neatly tucking it away in the bottom right hand corner of the net. Game On, both sides were playing some great stuff and chances started to flow, Will had to snatch at a well worked move involving Harry and Luke, Joe picked the ball up in a central position and struck a fierce left foot shot from outside the box which sailed just over the bar.

 

Lymm were also finding chances and their next goal came from a Cougars mistake. Cougars were struggling to clear their lines against the wind from goal kicks, and Lymm capitalised on this picking up a poor clearance and with the Cougars defence split had a straight on run at goal giving Ben no chance again. With ten minutes to go lymm were hanging on to what they had and Cougars were finding it difficult to break through their defence.

 

Newcomer James Prime was unlucky as the ball fell to a defender in the box and Ben had one took off his toe as he was about to shoot. Lymm was always dangerous on the break with their right winger causing problems as usual when he got on the ball. James made an unconventional tackle on the edge of our area flattening both the Lymm attacker and himself. As lymm played their free kick the cougars defence cleared the ball up field allowing Will to get on the ball, with two Lymm defenders chasing hard he ran from the half way line and slotted home equalising up the score.

 

Gaps were now opening up and Luke passed the ball down the line to Harry who beat his man and found Will who slotted home easily. Lymm were not done yet and their right winger got free with a one on one with Ben Redhead in nets, Ben read the play well and just got there first clearing the ball well. With four minutes to go Will won the ball five yards in his own half, and set off towards the Lymm goal with two defenders in his wake to score a near carbon copy of his earlier goal. Game over Cougars played out the remaining minutes making sure the result stayed that way.

 

MOTM always a difficult one when we win with some outstanding performances I have gone for Luke who had the unenviable task of marking their best player, he not only did make him look ordinary which he clearly isn’t, he was involved in the team build up play at vital parts of the match.